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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28654362">The Price of Family</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eoan/pseuds/eoan'>eoan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>RWBY</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Gen, JanuRWBY, Little bit of Nuts and Dolts, Touch of Bumbleby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 14:13:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,010</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28654362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eoan/pseuds/eoan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What would you do for family?</p><p>For Yang, the answer is everything. Anything. Pulling jobs on the dangerous streets of the sprawling metropolis of Vale with her do-gooder sister at her side, she has plenty of opportunities to prove it. But she's ready to get out. To take Ruby and leave the city behind. When the opportunity of a lifetime comes their way, Yang is all in, despite Ruby's protests. One last job, then they'll be set for life. Free. Simple.</p><p>But when you let yourself get tangled in the glossy and duplicitous games of the rich and powerful, things are rarely simple, and they're never free.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Last Job</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I still don’t understand why we’re going to work with some corporate princess,” Ruby muttered.</p><p>Yang scanned the busy street through her aviators. Not that she needed them.  Sunlight hadn’t found its way down through the towering buildings crowded around the dirty streets of Vale in decades. Maybe in the city center, depending on the day. But not in their neighborhood. At most, the dark glass protected her from the occasional glint off an oil slick left behind by one of the rust buckets parked on the curb. She liked how they looked, though. Cars hummed by, still no sign of their client. “It’s not complicated, Ruby. We need a real job.” When her little sister looked ready to protest, she clarified, “That pays real money.”</p><p>Ruby pouted. She may have long since stopped being a child, but even at twenty-two (nearly middle-aged for someone raised by the streets of Vale), Yang still thought of her as her kid sister. Her naive, do-gooder attitude didn’t help any.</p><p>“What about that shopkeeper last week? That was a real job,” she argued.</p><p>“He paid us in canned beans and ammunition.”</p><p>“Both of which we sorely needed,” Ruby remarked, her grin only slightly embarrassed. “Besides, he really needed someone to help him. We did a good thing.”</p><p>“Good things don’t pay bills,” Yang said. She tried not to think about the angry notices she’d received from their apartment complex. She failed. One more, and she and Ruby would be out on the street. Her worry was interrupted by a sleek limo gliding up to the curb. Car like that couldn’t idle long on a street like this. Like as not to find itself on blocks and missing everything but the frame. Maybe even that.</p><p>“There’s our ride,” she said, taking off her shades and slipping them into a pocket in her bomber jacket. The move was practiced but looked nonchalant. Cool. Shiny. She hoped. “Try to act professional.”</p><p>Ruby grumbled but kept it to herself as a stout man sprang from the driver’s seat and raced around to open the rear passenger door. “Ladies,” he said, his voice oddly respectful. “If you would?”</p><p>Yang elbowed Ruby as she snickered at the formal address, thanking the man and sliding into the dimly light interior. She couldn’t help but notice the feel of the glossy seat, and she ran her golden hand across the material as she settled in. Text popped up on her HUD: <em>genuine leather</em>. She fought the urge to whistle as Ruby plopped down beside her and the door shut with a solid thunk. Her eyes quickly adjusted, revealing the prim and perfectly still woman seated across from her.</p><p>“Good afternoon, ladies,” the woman said, her diction as crisp as the lines on her expensive-looking blazer. “I’m…”</p><p>“Weiss Schnee,” Yang filled in. “We’re not amateurs.” She looked the woman up and down again. From the famously white hair to the feint scar slashed across one of her two icy-blue eyes, she was unmistakable. Even if their Uncle Qrow hadn’t tipped them off on their supposed mystery client (“Hey, I’m the best fixer in Vale, you think I’d send you in without doing some digging?”), a blind person could identify those ringing tones from Weiss’s singing days.</p><p>“Fine, you know who I am,” Weiss huffed, leaning her head back and looking down her perfect nose at them. “Sadly, I can’t say the same. I was only told that you’re the best at what you do. I hope I was not led astray.”</p><p>“I’m Yang. This is Ruby. If a job needs doing, we do it. Period.” She leaned back, doing her best to match the haughty pose of their client. It almost worked.</p><p>“So it’s just the two of you?” Weiss asked, looking doubtful. And more than a little disappointed.</p><p>“Not exactly,” came a robotic voice.</p><p>Weiss snapped her head around, her eyes landing on a small pin on Ruby’s collar. Yang realized she must have high-grade optical implants to zero in on the speaker so quickly. Only the best for the Schnee heiress. “I don’t appreciate eavesdroppers.”</p><p>Ruby held up her hands, trying to placate the frosty woman. “That’s our netrunner.”</p><p>Weiss nodded, almost as if she’d expected the response. Hoped for it. Yang didn’t like the strange light in her eyes as she spoke. “The Winter Maiden, if I’m not mistaken? Best crafter and cracker of ICE on the net. Or so the stories go.”</p><p>“Yeah…wait. How did you know her and not us?” Ruby asked.</p><p>Weiss’s lips pursed smugly. “I am also not an… amateur.” She let her words hang before sighing and dropping the act. “We tried to recruit her at SchneeCorp a handful of years ago, shortly before she seemingly vanished. It was believed she’d either burned out or finally hit it big enough to retire. I had my suspicions those rumors were false. You’re a hard woman to find, Ms. Polendina.”</p><p>“I…” Penny wasn’t often caught off guard, but hearing her real name spoken by a suit must have been a shock. She quickly recovered. “You may address me as Winter Maiden. We are not friends.”</p><p>“Concerned that someone else might be listening?” Weiss probed.</p><p>“Of course not. The first thing I did when my friends entered your vehicle was sweep it and then isolate it. No listening devices were present, and you will notice that none of your personal devices have signal at the moment.”</p><p>Weiss simply smiled. “I expect no less from the best. Though I must say, I thought someone of your singular talents would be running with a more…impressive crew.”</p><p>Yang bristled but tried to swallow her pride. She couldn’t make an enemy of this woman. Not yet. “Much as I’m honored to ride around in luxury and be insulted by the daughter of the richest man on the planet, is there a point to all of this?” Maybe she hadn’t swallowed hard enough.</p><p>Weiss’s lip curled slightly, an instinctive show of rage, but she tried to hide it. Yang made a note of her reaction as the woman fussed with her skirt and settled herself. “I need you for a job.”</p><p>“So I gathered,” Yang replied, almost biting her tongue to tamp down her sarcasm. “What kind of job?”</p><p>“The impossible kind. The kind that wouldn’t even have a prayer without someone of Ms. Po…of the Winter Maiden’s caliber.”</p><p>Yang slumped back. “So you don’t need us, just her.”</p><p>Weiss examined the bed of her fingernails. “Not exactly. This job has a rather large and not uncomplicated physical component as well. Though frankly, I was hoping that she might be working with more experienced associates.”</p><p>Before either Ruby or Yang could retort, Penny’s voice piped up. “They are my team. I trust them, and they, me. I will not work with anyone else.”</p><p>Weiss sighed, then settled back into her seat and regarded the women in front of her shrewdly. She gave a graceful shrug. “Fine, if that’s how it is, then let’s not waste any more time.”</p><p>“Yes, we’d hate if you missed your evening spa treatment,” Ruby sniped, glaring up at Yang after receiving a metallic elbow to the ribs.</p><p>“Don’t make me regret my decision,” Weiss snapped. “You’ll each find a shard in the armrest nearest you. Please slot it in so we can begin.”</p><p>Yang and Ruby looked at each other, then reached for the small silicon and copper sticks. Yang ran her ‘ganic hand up under her waves of golden hair, finding one of the open slots on the shaved side of her head and slotting it in. Ruby smirked at her and stuck out her tongue. She kept her dark hair reasonably short for quicker access to her slots and frequently gave Yang shit for her ungainly mass. But Yang never yielded; what was the point of being a badass if you couldn’t look great at the same time?</p><p>Besides, Penny had long hair, and Ruby never gave her grief about it. Though Yang suspected she knew why the console jockey might get special treatment. Not that she’d ever say anything. They’d figure it out. Eventually.</p><p>Yang’s mind snapped back to the present as her HUD was replaced by schematics, a wireframe of a vaguely familiar building that scrolled across her vision-</p><p>“Want to tell me why we’re looking at SchneeCorp’s Vale Headquarters?” Ruby asked.</p><p>Of course she had seen it first. Yang knew it wasn’t just because of those fancy eyes she was rocking, though they probably didn’t hurt. Ruby had an incredible visual memory. She probably had most of the sprawling skyline of Vale memorized.</p><p>“That’s where you’ll find our target,” Weiss replied as though she thought this was perfectly reasonable.</p><p>Ruby reached up and yanked the shard from her socket. “Well, this has been preem, but you can let us out now. Thanks for the ride.”</p><p>“You haven’t heard me out.”</p><p>“We’ve heard enough,” Ruby replied. “Right, Yang?”</p><p>“I mean…”</p><p>Ruby whipped her head around, and Yang told herself that the look of betrayal would fade. Ruby would forgive her, but they couldn’t just leave. “Yang, come on.”</p><p>Yang swallowed. “No, we’re going to hear her out.” Ruby went from shock to fury to fuming resignation quickly enough that anyone unfamiliar with her mercurial moods would’ve suffered serious whiplash, but this wasn’t Yang’s first day. She rode it out and turned back to their potential client. “Go on,” she said. It was an effort to ignore the smug look on the woman’s face as she did.</p><p>“As you so accurately surmised, the target is within SchneeCorp’s local headquarters.”</p><p>“Which means it may as well be on the fragging sun,” Ruby muttered.</p><p>“Which means,” Weiss cut in. “It’s good that you have someone with so much insider intel. Those schematics include security measures and all other pertinent information needed for the extraction.”</p><p>“How recently was this data acquired?” Penny, asking the useful questions, as always.</p><p>“Yesterday,” Weiss assured her.</p><p>Ruby sighed and slotted the shard again, sulking as her silver eyes unfocused and she went over the data. “Penny, did you get my upload?”</p><p>“Yes, but even with this data, I see no good way to get inside.”</p><p>Yang knew that being jacked in like Penny meant she was processing things much faster than the rest of them, but it was always disconcerting how quickly she came to conclusions over the wire. Still, it never paid to doubt her. She looked up at the maddeningly calm woman across from her. “Got anything else for us?”</p><p>“Naturally. Does this mean you’re in?”</p><p>“It means we’re considering it,” Ruby said before Yang could commit them.</p><p>Weiss cocked one perfectly trimmed eyebrow, sensing the discord but smart enough not to say anything. “Fine. My father is hosting an exclusive party next week in the ballroom that occupies the top floors of the building. Only the biggest SchneeCorp investors are invited. I can get us in. From there, we simply need to slip-”</p><p>“Hold on, us?” Ruby asked.</p><p>Yang couldn’t argue with her sister’s reaction. “Look, Ms. Schnee-“</p><p>“Weiss is fine.”</p><p>“Ok, Weiss,” Yang said, feeling more than a little weird talking to a suit like they were chums. “No offense, but we don’t bring clients with us on jobs.” It wasn’t entirely true, but telling her they didn’t bring amateurs with them on jobs likely wouldn’t have gone over well.</p><p>“If I don’t come, there is no job. End of discussion.”</p><p>Yang ignored the blatant look of I-told-you-so from Ruby and did her best to only groan on the inside. She reminded herself that all of these annoyances were just going to lead to a bigger payday. A payday they desperately needed. “Fine, you come. What are we stealing?”</p><p>“Liberating,” Weiss corrected. “It doesn’t rightly belong to my father, so it isn’t theft.”</p><p>This time Yang couldn’t hide her annoyance. “I doubt security will care about that distinction. What is it?”</p><p>Weiss looked ready to retort but decided to answer the question instead. “A particularly valuable prototype. That’s all you need to know.”</p><p>“Ok, but are we talking a prototype tank or a prototype chip?” Yang asked. “That kind of makes a difference.”</p><p>“It’s,” Weiss fumbled, just for a moment, but then she recovered her composure. “It’s the size of a shoebox.”</p><p>“Why would you put a shoe in a box?” Ruby asked.</p><p>“No, you put a pair of…” Weiss looked between the equally mystified sisters. “Shoes come in boxes.”</p><p>Yang looked down at the boots that had been 3D printed for her at a dirty kiosk in a dirtier alley. “Clearly, we shop at different stores,” she deadpanned.</p><p>Weiss held up her hands, less than shoulder-width apart. “A box, this big. A shoebox.”</p><p>“If you say so,” Ruby said with a shrug. “How heavy? Feel free to give the weight in gold bars. You know, something relatable.”</p><p>“Assuming your head is full of lead,” Weiss snapped. “Lighter than that.”</p><p>Yang fought the urge to laugh at the frustration flushing Weiss’s face. Time to get back on track. “Ok, ok. Why is this ‘shoebox’ so important?”</p><p>”If this piece of tech works out, SchneeCorp will no longer just be the biggest company on the planet; it will become untouchable.”</p><p>Ruby shook her head. “Why would you want to sabotage your own company?”</p><p>Weiss bristled before going back to examining her expensive manicure. “It’s not my company. It’s my father’s.”</p><p>But Ruby wasn’t satisfied. “Still, why-?”</p><p>“Let’s just say he and I don’t always see eye to eye,” Weiss said. “Besides, I…I was recently disinherited.”</p><p>“Sounds like we’re getting in the middle of family drama,” Ruby snarked.</p><p>Weiss narrowed her eyes, but there was something sad there. Her voice seemingly didn’t get the memo, however. It was all ice. “Will you take the job or not?”</p><p>--</p><p>“I don’t like it,” Ruby muttered as they waved their way past the familiar bouncer. They were regulars at the Nest, the bar their uncle ran mostly as a convenience to host his real business.</p><p>“Yeah, Rubes, you’ve said like a million times,” Yang replied, striding through the mid-afternoon crowd toward the back. “But you know what I don’t like? Living on the street and scraping food out of dumpsters. Which is what we’ll be doing without this job.” Ruby grumbled. Like she had every time they'd circled this particular block. She let it drop when they approached their uncle’s table.</p><p>“Hey, my favorite nieces!” he called, waving a glass that Yang doubted was his first. She worried that his ever-present five o’clock shadow and disheveled hair were going from intentionally rakish to unkempt. But his drinking didn’t seem to be interfering with business. Yet.</p><p>Assuming this job didn’t go down in flames.</p><p>“We’re your only nieces, Uncle Qrow,” Ruby laughed, apparently oblivious to the reek of alcohol as she gave him a quick hug and flopped into the seat next to him.</p><p>Qrow chuckled and tussled her hair. “So you are. Did you meet with our illustrious client?”</p><p>Yang spun a chair around and straddled it, her arms crossed over the back. Ignored Ruby’s sour look. “Sure did,” she replied, searching his glazed eyes for the cunning intelligence that she hoped was still in there somewhere. “You sure this is on the level?”</p><p>“The money’s on the level,” he said as he took a long draw from his glass. “What else do you need to know?”</p><p>“It would be nice to know that we aren’t about to get flatlined helping some suit get back at daddy,” Ruby offered.</p><p>“What she means is,” Yang corrected, glaring at her innocently smiling kid sister. “We want to make sure this is done right, so we can collect our credits and walk away.”</p><p>Their uncle swirled his dwindling drink a few times, then raised it and rattled the ice. Moments later, a waitress placed a fresh glass in front of him. He thanked her. “Look,” he said, sampling the contents of his new cup. “I checked her out, asked around. I mean, she’s Weiss Schnee. It’s not like it’s hard to get info on her.”</p><p>“Did you know she got booted from the family?” Ruby asked.</p><p>Qrow nodded. “Of course, why else do you think I sent you two to talk to her? Sure, this is some corpo bullshit, no question, but she has real beef with her family. The job’s legit. Besides,” he added, smiling with his eyes over another gulp of the colorless liquid. “Her creds spend well enough. She paid my finder’s fee upfront, and I suspect her offer to you two was…generous.”</p><p>“It was,” Yang agreed.</p><p>“It has to be!” Ruby shot back. She turned to their uncle. “She wants us to break into,” she looked around, then lowered her voice. “SchneeCorp headquarters here in Vale.”</p><p>Qrow shrugged. “I know.”</p><p>“You know?” Ruby demanded.</p><p>“Hey, at least it’s not the main headquarters on Atlas station.”</p><p>“It may as well be!” Ruby retorted. “I don’t see how hijacking a shuttle and going to fucking space could be any more insane.”</p><p>“Calm down, kiddo,” Qrow said, a frown tugging at his lips. “It can’t be as bad as all that.” He turned to Yang, obviously looking for support. “What do you think, Firecracker?”</p><p>Yang had long since stopped correcting him when he used her childhood nickname. “It just feels…too big, you know? Don’t get me wrong, we need the creds, but why us?”</p><p>“She asked for the best, so I gave her the best.”</p><p>Yang shook her head. “Uncle Qrow, I know we’re family, and I appreciate the sentiment, but-“</p><p>“We’re not even close to the best,” Ruby supplied.</p><p>“Not with that attitude,” Qrow admonished playfully, but his grin faded under their twin glares. “Honestly? She asked for the crew with the best netrunner, and there’s only one I know personally that can claim that title.”</p><p>Ruby crossed her arms. “So she does just need Penny.”</p><p>“Look,” Qrow said, fishing for words of wisdom he didn’t have and settling on the truth instead. “The gig needs an all-star deck jockey and some competent bodies. You three fit the bill, and you need the money, so I gave you the nod. That’s all.”</p><p>Yang sighed, but none of what he said had come as a surprise. She knew where they stood in the pecking order, and she and Ruby both knew that Penny was way too good for them. “Good enough for me.” She looked over at her sister, still slouched in her seat with her eyes scanning the ground. No doubt memorizing the pattern of microscopic cracks in the aging tile.</p><p>Eventually, Ruby gave up pretending she didn’t notice Yang’s gaze and looked up, then let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine, whatever, I’ll do it. Penny?”</p><p>“I am in,” chirped Penny’s voice, the barest hint of excitement in her tone.</p><p>Qrow smiled and polished off the remainder of his drink. “Shiny. Now tell me how you intend to pull this off.”</p><p>--</p><p>“We’re being followed.”</p><p>Yang gritted her teeth to stop herself from swearing out loud. She had suspected they would be at some point, but it bothered her that she hadn’t spotted them. She supposed she should be grateful Ruby had. “How many?” she asked, pitching her voice low and not moving her lips.</p><p>“At least three,” Ruby replied, hawking a loogie and using it as an excuse to look over her shoulder. “About two blocks back,” she added.</p><p>“Fangs?”</p><p>“Probably. They’re definitely Faunus.”</p><p>“Well, I suppose we knew we’d be spotted when we crossed onto their turf.” Yang pushed forward, dragging them deeper into the Fang’s territory. She hadn’t had many pleasant interactions with the Faunus gang, but the same could be said of most gangs that had held sway in Vale. She had no specific beef with them, and she’d always gotten along as well with her Faunus neighbors as anyone else. It wasn’t their fault that their great grandparents had killed time messing around with their genes before passing them on. So now some of them sported extra ears or claws or whatever, who cares?</p><p>But Yang wasn’t naive. She knew that many did, in fact, care. That was why most Faunus preferred to live in cloistered communities where they could protect each other from the assholes who saw them as less than human. It was why she and Ruby were receiving a lot of suspicious glares through mostly shut windows and doors.</p><p>She wasn’t the only one feeling the unwelcoming stares. “Maybe we should get out of here,” Ruby suggested lightly, trying and failing to play off her growing unease.</p><p>“We can’t,” Yang replied. “Uncle Qrow is right; we need this chick.”</p><p>“Why? The three of us have always managed in the past.”</p><p>“We need someone who can slip past a state of the art surveillance system. Unseen.”</p><p>“We can do that.”</p><p>Yang snorted. “Please, when have we ever done anything quietly?”</p><p>“What about the job for that guy? What’s-his-name…Port? No one even saw us.”</p><p>“Yeah, because Penny hacked the signal on their optical implants and literally blinded everyone.”</p><p>Ruby tried to look offended but only barely stifled a chuckle. “Ok, but how about that time down at the docks?”</p><p>“The time when you set off an entire crate of flash-bang grenades?”</p><p>Ruby grinned. “I mean, technically no one saw us that time either.”</p><p>Yang’s lip tugged upward. “Yeah, and I couldn’t hear for a week.”</p><p>"It wasn’t that bad. Oh!” Ruby exclaimed, seemingly unconcerned with their tail save for the furtive glances she stole when they turned the next corner. “How about the-“</p><p>“I swear if you’re about to claim the Oobleck job was anything but a disaster, I’m going to scream.”</p><p>“We got away clean!” Ruby protested.</p><p>“We set the building on fire.”</p><p>“The fire suppression system came on almost immediately. There was hardly any damage.” Ruby’s smile faltered under Yang’s glare. “Ok, maybe we could use someone a little more…discrete.” Yang rolled her eyes at the colossal understatement. “But how do we know she’ll even help?”</p><p>“If what Uncle Qrow said about her is true, she’ll help.”</p><p>“Assuming we even get a chance to talk to her,” Ruby muttered.</p><p>Yang looked around. “We still being followed?”</p><p>Ruby’s lips were tight as she replied, “Yup, one more just joined up.”</p><p>“Well, we may as well kick this party off.” Yang flipped her optics over to infrared. She only had lens implants, nothing as fancy as the wonders Ruby was sporting, but they did alright. At least she could tell that the next alley was deserted. “In there?” she said, raising her chin.</p><p>Ruby sighed. She’d never liked close-quarters fighting as much as Yang, but there was no time to set up a proper ambush, and numbers were not on their side. “Yeah, looks as good as we’re going to get.”</p><p>Yang nodded. “Let’s do it.”</p><p>--</p><p>“‘No Ruby, we don’t need weapons, we aren’t looking for trouble,’” Ruby mocked, grunting as she dodged a massive fist that passed right through where her head had been a moment before. “Great idea, Yang!”</p><p>“Don’t be such a baby,” Yang replied, catching the arm of her own attacker and twisting it painfully behind his back until he stopped struggling. “Tell your buddy to stop attacking, or I break your arm in at least seven places,” she added to her captive.</p><p>He sneered up at her until she gave his arm a gentle tug. Once he stopped crying out in pain, he quickly begged the other man to stop. Their two friends were already unconscious on the ground, caught unawares by the pair of sisters after entering the alley.</p><p>“Look,” Yang said. “We aren’t here for a fight.”</p><p>“Tell that to those two,” the man struggling against her grip growled.</p><p>“Oh, so you weren’t about to jump us?”</p><p>“I…”</p><p>“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Yang snapped. “We didn’t want any trouble.”</p><p>“Then what are you doing in Little Menagerie?”</p><p>“Looking for someone,” Ruby supplied, stepping away from her own assailant, just in case he got any ideas.</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>The sisters looked at each other. Discretion really wasn’t their strong suit, so Yang decided not to overthink things. “Blake Belladonna.”</p><p>The man’s face darkened. “Why?”</p><p>“We just want to offer her a job. That’s all.”</p><p>“And what if I’m not interested?”</p><p>The alley went deathly silent. The woman’s voice sounded so close, but there was no one else there. Yang flipped her vision to infrared, saw nothing, flipped it back, and found the same. She watched as Ruby as searched as many spectrums as she could. She shrugged.</p><p>Yang shoved the man away from her and raised her empty hands. “So that’s why they call you ‘the Shadow,’” she remarked.</p><p>“They call me many things. What do you want?”</p><p>“We just want to talk.”</p><p>“You have a funny way of showing it,” the voice replied as the air in front of Yang rippled and bent until a dark figure stood before her in a mimetic suit. Yang had never seen one in real life, but it lived up to the hype. One gloved hand reached up and pulled off the hood and mask obscuring her face, revealing a set of golden eyes beneath a splash of midnight hair and two pointed, cat-like ears.</p><p>Yang gaped. She’d been given a physical description, but her uncle had failed to mention that the woman was breathtakingly beautiful. A second look at the skin-tight suit showed she had the lithe body of a dancer or a gymnast to go with her perfect face. Yang was mortified as she felt blood rush to her cheeks as well as other, mercifully less visible places.</p><p>The woman, Blake, shrugged. “You want to talk? Talk.”</p><p>“I, uh, right,” Yang stammered, then forced her wandering mind back on track. “We want to hire you for a job.”</p><p>“I told you, I’m not interested,” Blake replied coldly before addressing the man at Yang’s feet, “Yuma, get those idiots off the concrete and go home. We’re done here.”</p><p>A thought occurred to Yang. “If you’re not interested, why are you here?”</p><p>Blake’s lip curled. “A couple of outsiders wandered into my turf. I came to ensure you didn’t cause too much trouble.”</p><p>“Oh please, you could have let these guys chase us off. Admit it, you’re curious.” Yang hoped that her charm hadn’t strayed from playful into desperate, but it was hard to stay focused with those golden eyes boring into her soul.</p><p>Blake snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she said, but there was no venom in it.</p><p>Ruby, however, was done watching her sister flirt. “Yang, she said she’s not interested.” Yang was about to argue, but she saw that sly expression Ruby often got when she was being clever, so she decided to let her take her shot. “Besides, we don’t need her.”</p><p>Blake’s eyes narrowed as she turned toward Ruby. “Is that so?”</p><p>“It is,” Ruby asserted. “We came here thinking you were something special, but you just have a fancy suit.” She shrugged and looked at Yang. “Come on, we can just buy one. That's cheaper than splitting the take with someone else.”</p><p>Yang’s instinct was to come up with some excuse to keep this shadowy beauty around, but she wasn’t going to mess up Ruby’s play. Not that she had time to anyway. Blake arched an eyebrow. “Is that what you think? That I just put on this suit and it does the work for me?”</p><p>“You telling me it’s not?” Ruby shot back.</p><p>“Aside from the fact that it was handmade for me specifically, there’s more to it than simply turning it on,” Blake explained.</p><p>Ruby crossed her arms. “Prove it.”</p><p>“I don’t have to prove anything to you.”</p><p>“You’re right, and we don’t have to tell you why we came. Come on, Yang.”</p><p>Yang fought a laugh as she followed her sister back toward the mouth of the alley. She was only a few strides from the exit when she was stopped short by an invisible hand in the middle of her chest. She looked down, barely able to discern a ripple in the air in front of her where she assumed Blake’s arm was. The fingers on her collar bone retreated slowly, almost a caress. Yang's breath caught, but not before she inhaled a trace of something wild and dark; the scent of moonlight cascading through clouds on a rain-soaked night. Of freedom and open spaces that Yang had never seen but could suddenly feel in her bones.</p><p>Blake chuckled and shimmered back to reality and pulled off her hood. “As I was saying. Anyone can wear a mimetic suit, but not everyone can move without making a sound, without rippling the air, or otherwise looking like a big, dumb, person-shaped distortion of light. I saw you searching for me. How many spectrums did you go through?”</p><p>Yang shook her head. “I only have visible and infrared.”</p><p>Blake made a face. “Child’s play.” She turned to Ruby. “How about you?”</p><p>“Those two, plus microwave, and UV for passive. I didn’t get around to active scanning.”</p><p>“And?” Blake challenged.</p><p>“Nothing,” Ruby admitted. “I suppose we could use you.”</p><p>Blake smirked. “You undoubtedly could.” Then she seemed to remember herself. “Unfortunately for you, I’m not interested.” In a flash, the hood and face-covering were back in place, and she vanished.</p><p>But Yang knew she was still there, could feel it, and it was time to show her hand. “What if I told you that the job involved stealing from the Schnees?”</p><p>There was a long beat of silence. Yang began to worry that Blake had already ghosted. Then her face reappeared, hanging in midair above seemingly empty air. Her mouth was drawn in a frown, but excitement danced in her eyes. “The Schnees?” she prompted.</p><p>“That’s right,” Yang said. “We’re going to rip off their next big prototype. From right under their noses. It will probably cost them billions.”</p><p>Blake’s eyes positively shone at that. “Well,” she said, her body shimmering back into view as she held out her hand. “Why didn’t you say so? When do we start?”</p><p>Yang took her hand, the fluttering in her stomach driven by more than excitement over a plan coming together. But she wasn’t going to think about that. Instead, she simply replied, “Now.”</p><p>--</p><p>Ruby marveled as Blake demonstrated her suit’s capability on their walk through narrow streets to the address Weiss had given them.</p><p>“See?” Blake said, going from completely invisible to a bouncing jumble of distorted light and back again before emerging back to full visibility. “It’s not just about the suit. The wearer has to know how to move. Otherwise, it’s nearly useless.”</p><p>Yang shook her head, pretending not to watch the display as she tried to focus on their surroundings. She still wasn’t completely sure about their client, and the last thing she wanted to do was march them into an ambush.</p><p>“Too bad it’s a bit of an odd fashion statement,” Ruby commented, indicating the strangely patterned black on black. Yang resisted the urge to voice her thoughts on the skintight outfit. Instead, she turned her head and took the chance to clear her throat.</p><p>Blake looked down at herself and shrugged, then reached up into a small pouch on her back and pulled out jeans and a long white jacket that really didn’t seem like they could have been hidden away in so small a space. She somehow stepped into the pants without breaking stride, then twirled the jacket around her shoulders. All of it effortless, fluid, and so cool that Yang nearly had a coughing fit as she tried not to visibly drool. Blake smirked up at her. “Everything okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, shiny,” Yang wheezed. She stopped. “We’re here, by the way.”</p><p>The trio looked at the rusted steel door before them. The building was one of countless nondescript towers on the block, all packed in so tightly it was impossible to know where one ended and another began. The address was right, though, so Yang reached up and knocked twice, hard, wincing at the loud clang of metal on metal.</p><p>They stood in silence, waiting. As the seconds dragged on, Yang began to feel more and more like an idiot. Just as she was preparing a line to act like she’d planned on getting stood up, an unseen speaker squeaked to life, carrying the cold tones of their client. “That’s not the Winter Maiden. Who is she?”</p><p>Yang looked around but saw no obvious place for a microphone, so she addressed the door. “We needed an extra hand to pull off our plan. I’ll personally vouch for her.”</p><p>There was a long pause before Weiss replied, “Fine.” Then the door unlocked with an audible click.</p><p>Yang swung it wide and waved the others through, stopping Ruby as she passed. “Is Penny wired in?”</p><p>Ruby shook her head. “No,” she replied, “She’s going to join us.”</p><p>“In meat space, seriously?”</p><p>Ruby shrugged and stepped through the door. “Yeah, she said this is too important not to be here in the flesh.”</p><p>“Huh, crazy. She almost here?”</p><p>Ruby blinked, her eyes unfocusing as she accessed her HUD and sent a message. A moment later, she responded. “Yeah, she’s a minute or two out.”</p><p>“Preem,” Yang said, looking up and down the street.</p><p>Ruby grabbed her arm, pulling her inside. “She’ll be here,” she insisted. “Come on. Where’s Blake?”</p><p>The pair wandered into the darkened building, the remains of what used to be some sort of office but had long since fallen into disrepair. Muffled voices were coming from a room in the back, one of which seemed increasingly frantic. It occurred to Yang where Blake may have gone. She took off at a sprint through the empty hallways, making her way toward the sounds of distress, Ruby hot on her heels.</p><p>“Blake, what the fuck?” Yang cried. Their newest recruit was holding a gleaming, black sword. Its razor-sharp tip rested lightly against the throat of a very still, very wide-eyed Weiss.</p><p>“You said we were stealing from the Schnees, not working with them,” Blake hissed.</p><p>Yang faltered. She had considered telling Blake the whole truth but figured it would be easier to explain after she was in. She apparently hadn’t thought that line of attack through all the way. “Yes, we’re working for Weiss Schnee.”</p><p>“For?!” Blake demanded.</p><p>Yang cursed herself but pressed on, “But she’s the one who wants to steal the tech from SchneeCorp.”</p><p>“So I’m just helping one Schnee in a powerplay against another? No, fuck that, and fuck all of you. I thought maybe you two were on the level, not just a pair of grimmgirls working for corporate scum. For a fucking Schnee.” </p><p>The accusation hit Yang like a slap in the face. She’d been called a lot of things in her life. Many of them unpleasant. But to be equated to those soulless killing machines that traded flesh for chrome until they were barely human, anything to get better at zeroing targets, all for a quick buck… She looked down at her arm, gold and black and nothing like the one it had replaced. Then she looked at Ruby, at her wide and shining silver eyes. Those inhuman eyes. Those expensive eyes. She felt her blood begin to race, to boil, but she forced it down. She couldn’t let this fall apart. Not now. Not when they were so close to getting out.</p><p>She took a breath. “Look, I get why you don’t like the Schnees-”</p><p>“You don’t know the first thing about why I hate the Schnees!” Blake cried. “The things they’ve done to my people.”</p><p>“I know, you’re right. I don’t. Just like you don’t know my life story. And none of us know the full version of Weiss’s. But we’re all on the same side here.”</p><p>“Stop.” Blake leaned forward but didn’t pierce the porcelain skin under her sword. “The best you can hope for now is to convince me not to kill her where she stands. Go ahead, give me one good reason.”</p><p>Yang’s mind raced, but Weiss had apparently had plenty of time to think. “Because I want to destroy Jacques Schnee and everything he’s built,” she said, her voice tight as her throat moved against the blade.</p><p>Blake narrowed her eyes, and for a desperate moment, Yang worried that Weiss’s gambit might fail. Then the sword lowered with a snap. Blake pressed a hidden button on the hilt, and Yang watched in fascination as the blade collapsed into it. Blake stashed the weapon back in her small bag. “Either you’re the best liar I’ve ever met,” she remarked. “Or you have a truly screwed up home life.”</p><p>“You have no idea,” Weiss murmured, massaging the angry red spot on her throat. “Are you in?”</p><p>Blake curled her lip and crossed her arms. “I’ll stay to hear the plan. No promises.”</p><p>Weiss blew a breath out through her nose but didn’t press the point. Instead, she turned to Yang and Ruby. “Is there anyone else you’d like to bring in who might want to kill me? Or is it just her?”</p><p>Yang grimaced as she and Ruby finished entering the room. “Just her,” she assured her. “Penny’s generally not much of a killer.” Weiss glared at her, her eyes flicking over her shoulder when they heard the outer door open and close. “We’re back here!” Yang called. Ruby would have let her know if it was anyone but Penny.</p><p>Their favorite runner ambled in a moment later, all red hair and freckles and green eyes. “Salutations,” she said, looking around the ramshackle room. She didn’t seem to notice that her chipper greeting was completely at odds with the strained air in the room, but that was Penny for you. Yang gave her a wave, impressed that she had at least remembered to change out of her cryo suit before coming over. Truly jacking into the net was dangerous business, with heatstroke from neural overload one of many potential causes of death for the unwary. Longtime runners, like Penny, didn’t need anything too extreme, like an ice bath. But she still spent most of her waking hours in a suit meant to regulate her body temperature. More than once, after a job, she’d forgotten to change out of it before she came out to join them for drinks. At least she always took their ribbing in good humor.</p><p>“Hello, Ms… Winter Maiden,” Weiss corrected. She looked relieved that Penny was there, and Yang was reminded again why their team had really been selected. <em>A job’s a job</em>, she told herself.</p><p>“Ms. Schnee,” Penny responded, sidling up next to Ruby, of course. It was only then that she seemed to notice the extra body in the room. “I do not believe we have met,” she pointed out.</p><p>“Blake,” the Faunus offered, looking Penny up and down.</p><p>“My name is Penny. I am the netrunner for this crew. As this is a job, I prefer to be referred to as Winter Maiden.”</p><p>“Noted,” Blake responded, still giving Penny an odd look.</p><p>“You expect me to be heavily chipped?”</p><p>“I…yes,” Blake admitted. “Every netrunner I’ve ever met has been heavily modified.”</p><p>Ruby laughed and looked at Penny fondly. “She doesn’t need anything more than a basic link. Penny’s got everything she needs in that big brain of hers.” She reached up and patted her friend’s head.</p><p>Penny rolled her eyes. “I have told you, my brain is a completely normal size, it simply-“</p><p>“This is fascinating, really, but I’m on something of a tight schedule,” Weiss cut in. Ruby made a face but held her tongue when Penny squeezed her hand. Blake still looked less than thrilled, but she wasn’t pointing a sword at anyone, so that was a win. Finally, Weiss’s eyes landed on Yang. “Well, do you have a plan?”</p><p>Yang smirked and rolled her eyes. Working with this suit was going to be such a pleasure, start to finish. She tried to visualize a stack of credits as high as the stiff woman before her. It helped, a little. “As a matter of fact,” she said, smiling broadly. “I do.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Making Preparations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yang sighed as she watched most of the credits she’d just received leave her account. She hadn’t realized they were already three months behind on rent, but there it was. The automated kiosk cheerily asked if she’d like to pay next month’s rent in advance. She declined. Even if she had the money, some part of her hoped she wouldn’t need to pay rent to the soulless highrise ever again.</p><p>She cursed herself for accepting only a tenth of the fee upfront, but Weiss made a good point. Half, even a quarter of what she was paying was enough that it was tempting to cut and run, even split four ways. This was only enough to whet their appetites. Blake and Ruby hadn’t complained, and Penny had only balked for a moment. Yang had caved to prevent unnecessary discord. It was only a week, after all, and Weiss would be picking up the tab on any job-related expenses. A tenth it was.</p><p>The main elevator was empty when Yang stepped in. The ad screens were on and cranked up to an obnoxious volume, as always, but she had long since learned to tune those out during the jerky ride up to their floor. One more week. One more week before she could get them out, maybe find some little place out in the country. Yang didn’t know the first thing about living outside the city. She’d never even been close enough to a real tree to touch it. Hell, she’d hardly ever seen a plant that wasn’t in a pot she could carry in one hand. But she thought that she’d like it, like having space to breathe. Space to move. Space to forget.</p><p>It had to be better than this.</p><p>The elevator rattled to a halt, ejecting Yang into the semi-darkness of the wide hallway that wrapped around the inner shaft of the building. The shaft was ostensibly to let air and light down into the apartments on the inner ring. The only time any sunlight managed to sneak its way down to the middle levels where she and Ruby lived was exactly at midday. The rest of the time was a perpetual twilight, with the shadows broken only by neon and LEDs. Air never seemed to make the journey. At least, not fresh air.</p><p>Yang’s feet carried her mindlessly around the corner and down the hall to their unit, her hand fishing out her keycard and swiping the door open with a hiss. Inside was the little cube she and Ruby called home. Some might call it messy. Yang thought of it more as a war zone. Ruby often called it ‘lived in.’ Whatever the term, there was no doubt that it was occupied. Clothes adorned the floor in as much excess as pictures adorned the walls. Ruby was old school, always printing out photos that others would just keep as digitals. It ate up what little money she had left after giving most of it away, but Yang couldn’t bring herself to stop her. Most people just put up with the sterile metal walls, but she got to look at a wallpaper made up of memories.</p><p>Ruby was sprawled on her bunk when Yang came in, head nodding along to a beat from her earpiece. Probably listening to some new band Yang hadn’t heard of yet. She pinged Ruby’s comm line to let her know she was in the room without scaring her, then smiled as her kid sister shook her head and sat up.</p><p>“Hey!” she chirped, blinking her eyes rapidly and looking around. “I totally lost track of time. Where were you?”</p><p>“Just out running some errands,” Yang said. No reason to worry her about rent, not now. “What have you been up to?”</p><p>Ruby smiled, but there was something hesitant there. “Well…promise you won’t be mad?”</p><p>Yang closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, careful not to break it with her golden fingers. “No.”</p><p>“Yang!”</p><p>“Out with it,” she groaned.</p><p>Ruby looked away. “How about I tell you over dinner?”</p><p>Yang crossed her arms and stared at her. She knew where this was going. “You buying?”</p><p>“I can,” Ruby stammered, then backpedaled. “Depending on where you want to go.”</p><p>“Dammit, Ruby!” Yang burst out. “You spent it already?!”</p><p>“Not all of it!”</p><p>Yang’s fury was interrupted by a small prompt on her HUD:</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Activate Afterburn?</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>She quickly dismissed it. That system was useful in a fight, but all it did now was tell her that she was letting herself get way too worked up. A deep breath helped clear her head, and seeing Ruby shrink in on herself was like a splash of cold water from a passing truck.</p><p>Still, there were questions that needed asking. “Where?”</p><p>“You know the Cotta-Arcs, down the hall?”</p><p>Yang blew out a breath. “I know of them.”</p><p>“Their son’s been sick, and they’re behind on rent, and-“</p><p>“Stop,” Yang said, her voice shaking but as gentle as she could make it. She considered explaining to Ruby for the millionth time that she couldn’t help everyone. But did she want to? Did she want Ruby to stop doing the right thing, no matter the cost? “Come on.”</p><p>Ruby followed her as she turned to go. “Where to?”</p><p>“To get some food.”</p><p>“But-”</p><p>Yang sighed and put her arm around her do-gooder sister. “I’m buying.”</p><p>--</p><p>Dinner raised both their spirits, even if it had been a simple affair. Yang couldn't stay mad at Ruby anyway. When the Cotta-Arcs burst from their apartment to hug and thank Ruby, Yang could only beam with pride and agree with the women that Ruby was something special.</p><p>Ruby flopped down into bed when they finally slipped back into their apartment, smiling and blushing but wise enough not to brag about it too much. Yang was grateful for her restraint. They took turns readying themselves for bed in their tiny bathroom, the routine so familiar it didn’t require words. Soon they were lying in their cramped bunks with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling as the building buzzed and hummed around them.</p><p>“Yang, you asleep?” Ruby whispered down from the top bunk.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Are you sure about this plan?”</p><p>Yang rolled over, trying to find a comfortable position on the rock-hard mattress. “As sure as I can be. You were there when we cooked it up with Uncle Qrow. Why the doubt now?”</p><p>“It’s just…”</p><p>“You don’t like that Penny has to come with us.”</p><p>Ruby was silent for a moment, but couldn’t deny it. “Penny’s the best at what she does, but she doesn’t do what we do. I just don’t want her to get hurt.”</p><p>“Penny will be fine,” Yang assured her. “We’ll be there to watch out for her. Besides, she risks her life all the time in cyberspace.”</p><p>“Gee, thanks, Yang,” Ruby grumbled. “Now I feel so much better.” After more rustling, she added, “Can you open the window? I think the AC is busted again, and it’s stuffy in here.”</p><p>Yang chuckled and stood up, then padded over to the window. It wasn't supposed to open, except in emergencies, but working with a world-class hacker had its perks. She tapped in the override command that Penny had given them, then stood and breathed in the fetid air of the shaft. “That’s what you get for insisting on top bunk,” she mocked as she turned back to return to bed. “It’s always warmer up there…”</p><p>Yang froze. The familiar smell of garbage and too many bodies was mixed with something else. Something pleasant. Something familiar.</p><p>“Where are you going?” Ruby mumbled as Yang fumbled on pants and shoved her feet in her boots.</p><p>“I’m just stepping out on the fire escape. I need some fresh air,” she replied, hoping she sounded casual.</p><p>Ruby yawned and rolled over. “Good luck finding any out there.”</p><p>Yang laughed mirthlessly and stepped up onto the frame, then out onto the narrow fire escape that ran past the window. She stood at the railing, letting her eyes wander across the lights on the other side while her nose tried to pinpoint the aberration.</p><p>“You know,” she whispered softly without turning her head. “It’s not polite to spy on people.”</p><p>There was a tiny ripple in the air in response to her question, but with her body blocking the path down, she knew where her uninvited guest was going. She waited, confirmed that the alluring scent had grown fainter, then climbed the escape. A few levels up and she began to doubt herself, but pressed on until she reached an alcove where she and Ruby sometimes came to drink when they were feeling cooped up. It was a square patch of steel and concrete that housed a portion of the building's mechanicals: heat and AC and electrical panels, that sort of thing. They all gave off a steady hum, but it wasn’t the worst place to hang out when you were tired of listening to your neighbors fight.</p><p>Yang looked around, but of course, she couldn’t see anyone. The constant churning of air by various exhaust fans made it impossible to sniff her prey out. She decided to try a more direct approach. “Come on, Blake. We both know you’re here somewhere.”</p><p>It was all she could do to not jump when two flashing eyes appeared directly in front of her, followed shortly after by a scowling face. “How did you know I was there?”</p><p>“A magician never reveals her secrets,” Yang mocked, wiggling her fingers.</p><p>Blake was not amused. “She does if she doesn’t want us to get flatlined next week.”</p><p>Yang considered this. “You, uh,” she coughed uncomfortably. “You smell really nice.”</p><p>“I…what?” Blake leaned to the side, sniffing herself self-consciously. “Thanks, I guess? But don’t avoid the question.”</p><p>“I wasn’t,” Yang said. “This place smells like shit, but when I opened the window I could smell something nice. That’s it.”</p><p>“And you knew it was me?” Blake pressed, cocking an eyebrow.</p><p>“Well, I don’t know any other nice-smelling, invisible people.”</p><p>Blake looked ready to argue, then simply shimmered the rest of her body back into existence and hopped up to sit on one of the rumbling devices. “Fine, you caught me.”</p><p>Yang leaned against another. “I found you,” she corrected. “Something tells me you aren’t so easily caught.” When she received no response, she pressed, “What are you doing here?”</p><p>Blake shrugged. “I’m trying to figure out who I’m working with.”</p><p>“You could try hanging out with us.”</p><p>“If we had more time, I might do just that. But anyone can put on an act for a week. I didn’t want any more surprises after the shock of finding out who we’re working for.” Blake looked ready to spit just at the mention of the woman, but she shrugged her fury away. “I wanted to know who you are when you think no one’s watching.”</p><p>Yang felt an unbidden sense of shame. She tamped it down, she had nothing to be ashamed of. She knew who she was. But it was still an invasion, and she didn’t appreciate it. “Fine,” she said, crossing her arms. “So who are we when no one’s watching?”</p><p>If Blake was perturbed by Yang’s smoldering anger, she didn’t show it. “Ruby is someone who gives all of her money away just because a family is in need, without a second thought.”</p><p>“Yeah, ask anyone in a ten-block radius and they could have told you that. Ruby is a pure soul, always has been.”</p><p>“Is she?”</p><p>Like that was even a question. “Yes.”</p><p>Blake blinked, then changed tracks. “And what are you, Yang?”</p><p>“I…what?” Yang was thrown, having expected some sort of judgment on her behavior, not a question.</p><p>“I know you care for Ruby, protect her, but does that make you a pure soul by association?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Yang said, too quickly. “What does it matter? Where are you going with all this?”</p><p>Blake looked away. “I don’t just follow people around, Yang. I do my homework. Ruby’s flashy eyes aren’t just for observing, and they aren’t her only modification. Stabilizers in her hands and arms, shock absorbers in her spine, enhanced pulse and breath control.”</p><p>“That’s a huge invasion of privacy-“</p><p>“Those are a sniper’s mods, Yang.”</p><p>“Yeah, because she’s usually my only backup on jobs,” Yang snapped. “I like to keep her well out of harm’s way when I can. Far from danger. She happens to be a crack shot; can take the wings off a fly three blocks away on a windy day. Her mods have guaranteed that she’s always been able to do the job without killing anyone.”</p><p>“Is that so?” Blake asked, cocking her head and seeming to listen.</p><p>“Yes, that’s so,” Yang insisted. “Anything else?”</p><p>Blake frowned. Then she hopped down and slunk across the space between them, looking Yang up and down. “Shall we go through your list?”</p><p>Yang swallowed, now it was her turn to look away. “Go for it.”</p><p>“The arm is just the start,” Blake stated, glancing down at it. “Strong, flashy, and packing some extras that I wasn’t able to find specs on, but no doubt dangerous. The rest is more subtle.” She brushed one hand against Yang’s shoulder, pulling back when it drew a flinch, but nodding as her suspicions were confirmed. “I knew your skin felt too tight. Subdermal armor weave, knives can’t get more than a few layers deep and I’d bet you’re all but bulletproof.”</p><p>“Depends on the bullet,” Yang grumbled.</p><p>“Nano-wires extruded through muscles, tendons, and ligaments, making them all but indestructible and quite a bit stronger. Carbon-fiber-reinforced bones. But the real fun is that little stim unit. What’s it called?”</p><p>Yang knew she was baiting her, knew she’d read the file. “Afterburn.”</p><p>“Cranks everything up to eleven, spikes your adrenaline, kills pain, speeds your reflexes, and sends you into a battle rage. That’s got to be pretty taxing on the body.”</p><p>“What’s the point of all of this?”</p><p>Blake stepped back and threw her arms wide. “What’s the point? I teamed up with a couple of mercs, one of whom is tuned to pick off targets too far away to see and the other cranked up like a fucking war machine, and they’re working for a suit. Worse, a Schnee!”</p><p>“It’s just one fucking job. We need the money!” Yang snapped. “And who cares if we have some mods? Sorry that we aren’t pure enough for you. Let me guess, you’re not chipped?” She didn’t wait, she knew the answer. “Goodie for you. It must be nice to have naturally enhanced senses. You probably also have, what, superior speed and agility?” </p><p>“This isn’t about me,” Blake retorted. “This about how I’ve spent most of my life running from chromed-up super soldiers. Teams of so-called exterminators sent by corporations into our neighborhoods, our homes. To attack us with impunity. All of them sporting mods remarkably similar to yours. I’m not concerned with your purity,” she nearly spat the word. “I’m concerned that you’re waiting for a good time to put a bullet in my head.”</p><p>Yang scowled at her. She felt for her, but she wouldn’t stand for the accusations being thrown her way. Thrown Ruby’s way. “I get why you’re freaked out, but we’re not like those thugs. We’re not killers. We only do what we have to to survive. I will not apologize.”</p><p>Blake cocked her head. Shook it. “You mean Ruby’s not a killer.”</p><p>Yang froze. “What did you say?”</p><p>Blake stared her down. “You said that you weren’t killers. Then your heart started pounding. That wasn’t entirely true, was it?”</p><p>“That’s,” Yang stammered. “That’s none of your business.”</p><p>“Oh, but it is,” Blake said, frowning slightly. “And before you get too far into some sob story, remember that you’re talking to a Faunus.” She tipped her head, waited for Yang to acknowledge the ears pressed low in anger to the top of her head. “The reason we don’t tend to get chipped like you is that we already have to fight to be acknowledged as people. So tell me. Tell me what makes you different from all those other ‘borged out corporate lapdogs who happily tear out throats for their wealthy masters.”</p><p>Yang was nearly panting, her rage driving her breath in snorts through her nose. She blinked away the tears pulsing in her eyes while her HUD asked her if she wanted to be given the strength to tear the threat in front of her limb from limb. She breathed out her rage, swallowed her pain. This was not the time. She needed this infuriating woman. One week. She could make it through one week.</p><p>She wanted to spit in her face, wanted to tell her to go fuck herself. But she knew she needed to give her something. Some reason not to bail. Some sliver of truth. “Do you have a family?” she asked.</p><p>Blake watched her, trying to guess at her motives. Finally, she admitted, “Yes.”</p><p>“What would you do for them, if they needed you?”</p><p>Blake didn’t hesitate. “Anything.”</p><p>“There’s your answer,” Yang said, pushing herself forward and stalking back to the fire escape. “Ruby needed me, and I did what I had to do. Like I always do. Nothing more, nothing less. If this job means I can get her out of this shit hole,” she looked around at the grimy shaft, shook her head. “Then I’m going to do it. Even if it means working for some corporate bitch. Oh, and if I wanted you dead?” Yang snorted, looking at Blake over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t need a plan, or a trap, or a gun. I’d just do it.” </p><p>“I-“</p><p>But Yang had had enough. “Goodnight, Blake,” she said, then stomped away and down the stairs, trying to ignore the feeling of those wide, golden eyes following her.</p><p>--</p><p>“Come on, Penny, open up!” Yang shouted, pounding on the door to her apartment. The doorbell hadn’t worked in ages, so that was out. She had already tried calling Penny. No response. At least she’d been able to follow one of the neighbors in the front door rather than wait uselessly outside. She jiggled the handle and mused that it really should be Ruby doing this. Then she immediately felt guilty. Ruby wanted more than anything to be there but had been politely yet firmly asked to stay away. “Penny!”</p><p>Yang reached up to knock again, wondering if she could break down the solid-looking door. She stopped her hand when she heard the numerous locks on the other side being undone. A moment later, the door swung open, and Penny stood blinking before her.</p><p>“Yang?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.</p><p>“May I come in?” Yang prompted, holding out her paper bag and gesturing to the darkened apartment within.</p><p>“Oh. Yes, of course,” Penny said, ushering her inside and closing the door behind her. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“Making sure you eat solid food once in a while,” Yang quipped, eyeing the several empty bottles of meal replacement shakes in a perfect line on the otherwise empty counter. She set her bag beside them, and Penny hesitated for the briefest moment before pouncing on it.</p><p>After digging out several cartons, she looked up guiltily. “Do you mind if I…?”</p><p>Yang laughed and waved her on. “No, please, eat. That’s why I brought it. I already ate on the way.”</p><p>Penny sighed her thanks and began shoveling food into her mouth, groaning with delight as she realized how ravenous she was.</p><p>“How are things going?” Yang asked when she eventually stopped to breathe.</p><p>“Exemplary,” Penny said, nodding as her eyes went slightly out of focus. “I am seventy percent of the way through preparations. With four days to go, that puts me ahead of schedule.”</p><p>Yang sighed. “Three days. You must have lost one.”</p><p>Penny spun around and looked at her clock, peering closely at the date displayed at the bottom. “Oh,” she said, deflating slightly. “So I did. I guess I am on schedule. Not ahead.”</p><p>“Well, that’s still good, right?” Yang offered. “Maybe good enough to let Ruby bring you supplies next time?”</p><p>Penny busied herself pushing her food around the bottom of its container. “I,” she began, hunting for an excuse. “I do not think that is a good idea.”</p><p>Yang leaned against the counter, trying not to look excited at the prospect of prying. “Why?” she asked, feigning indifference.</p><p>“I find her to be extremely…” Penny’s cheeks reddened as she hunted for a word. “Distracting.”</p><p>“Sometimes a little distraction can be a good-“</p><p>“No,” Penny burst out, startling both of them. She looked down. “Sorry. It is just that I need to focus if we are to be successful, and I need us to be successful.”</p><p>Yang nodded. “Yeah, I suppose this is the big one. You won’t have to run with small-timers like us anymore.”</p><p>Penny shook her head. “I will not have to run at all anymore.”</p><p>That stopped Yang in her tracks. “Wait, you don’t want to be a netrunner?”</p><p>“Do you want to do this forever, Yang?”</p><p>“Well, no, but…I just always assumed you enjoyed it.”</p><p>“I do not,” Penny said, not meeting her eyes. “Not anymore.”</p><p>Yang fumbled for a response, shocked by the revelation. “But you’re so good at it. I mean, you’re always taking side jobs and stuff. Right?”</p><p>“I take those jobs to make up for the…slower income I bring in working with you and your sister. They are not for fun.” Yang tried not to feel insulted. Mostly succeeded. Penny sighed, then looked up at her. “Do you know why I am so good?”</p><p>“No, not really. I don’t really know much about hacking, to be honest.”</p><p>“It is because I can suppress my emotions. That is my secret.”</p><p>“That’s it?” Yang asked.</p><p>Penny stared at her, a haunted look in her eyes. “Yes, and no. I do not mean that I ignore my emotions; I turn them off. That is why I am faster, better than other netrunners. Most replace as much of themselves as possible with mechanical and electrical parts. Wire more and more of their senses directly into the net, hoping to get faster, hoping to match someone like me. But they cannot. They cannot connect with the net as I do. But in the process, I leave something behind. A piece of me. For hours, days at a time, I am without it. Call it emotion, feelings, a soul. Whatever you call it, every time I go in and come back, it feels harder to reconnect to. I am afraid…” Penny drew a sharp inhale, stifling a sob. Yang waited, spellbound at the hacker’s confession. “I am afraid,” she went on once she’d collected herself. “That eventually, I will not be able to at all. That I will be trapped as I am on the net, little more than an emotionless construct. An automaton. Hardly more than an AI.</p><p>“I need this job to succeed, Yang. Because it will be the last time I will ever enter the net.”</p><p>Yang stared at her, trying to fully appreciate the weight of what she’d just been told. “Wow, I…what will you do? After, I mean.”</p><p>Penny shrugged. “I do not know. I have saved a fair amount. Perhaps I will open a bakery.”</p><p>Yang cocked her head. “Do you even know how to bake?” she asked, looking around the untouched kitchen.</p><p>“No,” Penny conceded. “But I have always wanted to learn.”</p><p>The pair shared a laugh at that. At the thought of a console jockey trading her wires for a spatula. At the thought of doing something legal and safe and full of love. They laughed so they wouldn’t cry. “Hold on,” Yang said. “It sounds like you should want Ruby to come over. To help, I don’t know, pull you back out.”</p><p>Penny smiled to herself. “I do not know. Perhaps,” she said, then she shook herself, as though waking from a dream. “But no, we cannot risk it. Not now. Let us finish this. Then…” her eyes took on that dreamy look again, and she stood to guide Yang out. “Then I will allow Ruby to distract me all she likes.”</p><p>--</p><p>Yang wound her way through the old office, announcing her presence before she reached the back room despite knowing she was expected. Weiss looked up from her datapad when Yang entered, every bit the boss expecting a report from a subordinate. Yang stopped in the doorway and crossed her arms, waiting.</p><p>It took Weiss a minute, but she got the hint, throwing her datapad with a snort and leaning back. At least she wasn’t looking down her nose anymore. It was a start. “Well?” she prompted.</p><p>Yang strode forward and threw herself down in a chair, kicking her legs up on the table with a smirk. “We’re on schedule. Did you get my requisition list?”</p><p>“I did,” Weiss replied with a sniff. “There were some interesting items on there. Are you sure we need all of it? And that it must be acquired from your chosen contacts?”</p><p>Yang grinned. “Yes and yes. I only work with the proper tools, and I need to trust the people supplying them.”</p><p>“I’m sure I could find dealers with higher quality-“</p><p>“It’s not just about quality, Snowflake.” Weiss bristled, and Yang’s grin widened. “It’s about discretion. I want to have all of the gear, without the knife in the back that comes from untrustworthy suppliers.”</p><p>The pair stared each other down. Yang didn’t bother putting any force behind her eyes. She won by virtue of the fact that she was right. “Fine,” Weiss huffed. “We’ll do it your way.” She produced a credit chip and tossed it across the table. “That should suffice.”</p><p>“I’m assuming it’s untraceable?” Yang asked, then winced at the icy silence she was met with. “You know what? Forget I asked,” she said as she scooped up the chip.</p><p>Weiss regarded her for another drawn-out moment. Yang didn’t move to leave. “Is there anything else?”</p><p>“Just wanted to see if you needed any help with your part.”</p><p>Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say. “I’ll have you know that I can handle my affairs without the help of some, some-“</p><p>“Easy, easy,” Yang interrupted, holding up her hands for peace. “I’m only offering because entry and exit are the two biggest, and often most difficult, pieces of any job. It’s a lot for one person to shoulder.”</p><p>“Everything is already arranged,” Weiss stated, but her tone had softened. If only a hair.</p><p>“Shiny,” Yang said, not at all sure things were shiny. “I’ll just be on my way then.”</p><p>“Good,” Weiss remarked. Then, as Yang was headed out the door. “And do be sure that you’re all here for your fittings tomorrow. My people will need at least a day to make any necessary alterations.”</p><p>Yang spun to face her as she continued out the door. “Can’t wait,” she lied.</p><p>--</p><p>“Weiss,” Yang pleaded as she tried to fight off the hands of her assailant. “Is this really necessary?”</p><p>“Stop being such a baby,” Weiss snapped as she strode past, inspecting the results. “The less you struggle, the sooner this will be over.”</p><p>Yang looked uneasily down at the tiny woman glaring up at her. “Fine, but careful with the goods, lady.”</p><p>The woman grumbled as she went back to pinning and cinching the already skintight gown along every curve of Yang’s body, seemingly intent on filling her with as many pinholes as possible in the process. Yang looked over at her companions as they went through a similar process. “How exactly are we supposed to move in these things?” she demanded.</p><p>Weiss rolled her eyes and continued on to Ruby, nodding her approval to the tailor as he finished his work. “You’ll be able to move. I promise. Besides, you don’t have to wear them long.”</p><p>“Why can’t we wear suits, like Blake?” Ruby whined. Yang watched as she turned stiffly and tried to bend to each side.</p><p>“Stop moving,” Weiss scolded. “Go take that off and give it back before you knock the pins out. And you can’t wear suits because one woman showing up in a suit is a statement. Four is a gimmick. And Blake is the one who needs the cover.”</p><p>“But-“</p><p>“We’re not negotiating. Go change.”</p><p>Ruby looked to Yang, but she nodded her head to the curtains that had been thrown up in the back of the conference room. Weiss had a point, they needed to blend in when they arrived, and they already ran the risk of being conspicuous just by rolling with Weiss Schnee. Her entrance plan, her rules. Still.</p><p>“Ow,” Yang yelped. “Now I can’t breathe. Easy on the waistline.”</p><p>“Perhaps you should do fewer crunches. Maybe then you would have a waistline,” the woman muttered.</p><p>“Excuse me?” Yang sputtered.</p><p>“Bah, lucky for you, you make up for it up here,” the woman teased, tapping Yang’s chest with her pencil.</p><p>“Lady-“</p><p>“Yang, let it go,” Ruby said, snickering and seemingly in much better spirits back in her street clothes.</p><p>Yang growled at the impassive woman finishing her notes, then grumbled her way back to the changing area when she was dismissed. It took every ounce of self-control not to tear the dress to pieces as she carefully removed it. Holding it up, she grudgingly had to admit that some long-lost piece of the girl she’d once been had thrilled at the shiny, flowing fabric. She shook off the feeling. Just a dream from a life that wasn’t hers.</p><p>“Can someone wake this one?” Yang stepped out to find her seamstress staring impatiently at Penny, clad in her unfinished dress and slumped in a chair. A thick wire ran up under her hair from her compact laptop.</p><p>“Ruby?” Yang asked.</p><p>“Yeah, I got it,” she responded, stepping over and gingerly shaking Penny, telling her it was time to take a break. Yang watched, worried at how hard her friend was pushing herself. True, it was always like that before gigs, to an extent. Penny did most of her work beforehand, preparing so she could run things almost on autopilot during the job itself. But this time, she was taking it to a whole new level. The dazed look and robotic way she greeted Ruby when she returned to her senses did little to set Yang’s mind at ease.</p><p>Before she could worry too much, Blake approached. Her fitting had finished first, and now she was back in street clothes. Yang couldn’t help but think she looked odd—though certainly not bad—without her ever-present mimetic suit.</p><p>“Hey,” Blake said, her voice soft and conciliatory as she sidled up next to Yang. “Can we talk?”</p><p>Yang wanted to shut her down, wanted to tell her to buzz off. But it was only a couple days until she was going to need to potentially trust this woman with her life. “Yeah, what’s up?”</p><p>“Alone?”</p><p>Yang looked down at her, fought the part of herself that very much wanted to be alone with Blake, then fought the instinct to tell her she could say anything in front of the team. In the end, she just nodded and followed Blake out into the hall. They found an empty room a few doors down and stepped in. Yang watched Blake pace the tiny space, growing bored after a few laps. “You wanted to talk, so talk.”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Blake let out, then schooled herself to stillness. “I was out of line the other night. I shouldn’t have pried, and I shouldn’t have judged you for doing what you felt was necessary, especially for family.”</p><p>“No, you shouldn’t have,” Yang agreed. Then she softened slightly. “But I understand why you were cautious. I would be too, in your shoes. I’m glad you decided to stick around.”</p><p>Something flashed behind Blake’s eyes, but it was gone before Yang could catch it. Maybe she’d imagined it. Whatever it had been was replaced with a half-smile. “It’s not every day I get a chance to rob Jacques Schnee.”</p><p>Yang chuckled. Tried not to think how insane their plan was. “No, I suppose not.”</p><p>“So,” Blake ventured, extending one hand. “We good?”</p><p>Yang looked down at it, too many emotions warring within her to know where the truth lay. Too much on the line for her to turn down the olive branch. She reached out and grasped it, her hand tingling slightly where their skin met. “Yeah,” she said. “We’re good.”</p><p>--</p><p>“What was that all about?” Ruby asked when she and Yang broke off from the others to head home.</p><p>“What was what about?” Yang asked vaguely.</p><p>“You and our mysterious new companion.” Ruby batted her eyes and clasped her hands. “Did she ask you out on a date?”</p><p>Yang snorted and shoved her kid sister, laughing along with her as they wound their way through familiar streets. “No,” she said. “Just wanted to go over mission details.”</p><p>“Uh-huh, totally. I definitely believe you,” Ruby said, her face a mask of mock sincerity.</p><p>“You are such a little brat,” Yang said.</p><p>“Just admit that you have the hots for her.”</p><p>“I do not!” Yang protested, then reconsidered. “Okay, maybe a little-“</p><p>“I knew it!” Ruby crowed.</p><p>Yang pushed her again. “But that’s it. We’re totally incompatible. Besides, the job comes first.”</p><p>“Ugh, you sound like Penny,” Ruby grumbled. “When’s the last time you went on a date, anyway?”</p><p>“I,” Yang began, then faltered as she tried to remember the last real date she’d been on. She’d met plenty of women at clubs. Taken more than her share of tumbles in tiny beds at pod hotels. Even spent a weekend or two with a few particularly interesting paramours. But a real date…</p><p>“Oh my god, this is so sad,” Ruby extolled. “Just admit you can’t remember!”</p><p>“Fine, whatever, I’ve been kind of busy!” Yang snapped. “It’s not like you’re out making love connections every night.”</p><p>“This isn’t about me,” Ruby huffed. “This is about you not taking a chance.”</p><p>“A chance at what? Getting shot down and then dying because things are awkward between me and a partner during a job.”</p><p>“A chance at having a life. At being happy,” Ruby said, stopping as they reached the entrance to their building.</p><p>“I am happy,” Yang replied automatically.</p><p>“Yang, I’m your sister. Don’t lie to me.”</p><p>Yang took a deep breath, releasing all of the things she couldn’t say as empty air. “I am happy, Ruby,” she insisted, then held up a hand to prevent an interruption. “But I’ll ask her out if it will get you off my case.”</p><p>Ruby beamed. “It will.”</p><p>“After the job,” Yang amended.</p><p>Ruby pouted. “Fine,” she conceded. “Come on, let’s go up. Are there leftovers? I’m starving.”</p><p>But Yang wasn’t listening. A message had just landed in her inbox from a number she hadn’t seen in a long time. A number she couldn’t ignore. It read:</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Let’s talk. Not a request.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>“Everything okay?” Ruby asked.</p><p>Yang shook herself and forced a smile. “Preem, yeah. I just need to take this call. You go ahead.”</p><p>Ruby gave her a searching look, but fortunately, her marvelous eyes couldn’t read thoughts. “Sure, alright. See you in a bit.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Yang said, her fake smile still plastered on her face. “This’ll just take a sec.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Party Time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yang fidgeted in her seat, crossing and recrossing her legs self-consciously. She couldn’t seem to be still. Or figure out what to do with her hands, without pockets. It’s not that the dress was uncomfortable, far from it. It may have been a vast departure from her usual getup, especially on a job, but it moved with her like a second skin. And there was no denying the excitement of the remnant of a little girl within her, especially after Weiss’s mysterious team of beauticians had finished fussing over her hair and makeup. It had even almost sounded like a compliment when Weiss had walked past, looking positively stunning in her own gown, and remarked, “It will have to do.”</p><p>But the giddy buzz had given way to agitation when they made their way to their airship. The reality of the night ahead, the memory of the call outside her apartment…No. Everything would work out. She just needed to stay focused. She forced herself to look at her companions. Imagined she was in a movie or maybe even, crazy thought, actually on her way to enjoy a party. </p><p>She gazed at Ruby. It was hard not to smile, seeing her like that. Yang hardly even recognized her. Her little sister’s unruly hair had been wrestled into stylish order, and despite her protests, she’d been made up for what Yang was pretty sure was the first time in her life. The black and red dress Weiss had chosen for her was perfect. Unfortunately, it was all entirely lost on the one Ruby wanted to notice. Penny had accepted the ministrations of the stylists without complaint. She’d been too focused in her own preparations to notice the results or accept any of Ruby’s attempts at compliments as they climbed in the ship that would be ferrying them to the gala. Yang shook her head.</p><p>“If Blake isn’t here in five minutes, we’re leaving without her,” Weiss announced, looking specifically at Yang.</p><p>Yang threw up her gloved hands. She had resisted wearing the ridiculous things, but Weiss had insisted on covering her arm. It wasn’t that no one at the party would be augmented, she’d explained. It’s just that they wouldn’t have anything quite so <em>crude</em>. Yang had scowled but accepted the gloves, gaudy as they seemed to her. “Why are you looking at me? She said she’d be here.”</p><p>“She better be.”</p><p>“Sorry I’m late!” Blake shouted as she hopped nimbly up into the ship and dropped down next to Yang.</p><p>Weiss looked ready to scold her, thought better of it, and asked Klein—her chauffeur on land and in the sky—to get them in the air. Yang was too distracted to even notice as they took off. The three-piece suit fit Blake as well as the mimetic one beneath it, if not quite as snugly, and the effect was quite dashing. Add to that the subtle makeup that Blake had expertly applied around her eyes, and Yang found herself scrambling for a compliment that explained her gawping without making it worse.</p><p>She must have come up with something because Blake favored her with a smile. “Thank you. You don’t look half bad yourself,” she said, waving a hand at Yang’s shimmering gown.</p><p>She looked down at the expanse of golden cloth and the competing expanse of skin it did not cover, then back at Blake. “Wait, didn’t you have a tie?”</p><p>“Oh, honestly," Weiss groaned. "Don’t tell me you forgot."</p><p>“I didn’t,” Blake protested. She fished the length of cloth from her pocket. “I’ve just never been one for ties. I have no clue how to tie a bow tie.”</p><p>“Don’t look at me,” Weiss said.</p><p>Yang sighed. At least she’d have something to do with her hands. “Come here.” She took the tie from Blake’s fingers and looped it over her head. Leaning in, she deftly flipped up her collar and began knotting the tie. She looked up as she worked and smiled at the unasked question in Blake’s eyes. “I used to play dress-up with my mom as a little girl, and I would go on dates with my teddy bear. She showed me how to tie a bow tie so he’d look the part.”</p><p>“He?” Blake inquired, her mouth quirked playfully.</p><p>“Yeah, well, I was five,” Yang said, giving the tie a final tug. “Some things take a while to figure out. There,” she said, flipping the collar back into place and admiring her work. “Perfect.”</p><p>It wasn’t until Weiss cleared her throat meaningfully and Ruby snickered that Yang realized she was still leaning over Blake. She looked up. Froze. Underneath the neatly applied eye shadow, Blake’s eyes were rimmed in red. Had she been crying? Yang sat back with a self-conscious cough. There was no way to ask now.</p><p>“Is this going to be a problem?” Weiss asked, glancing between them coldly.</p><p>“No, ma’am,” Blake said, offering a sloppy salute.</p><p>Yang forced a smile. “We’re 100% focused. Relax.”</p><p>“Relaxing could get us killed,” Weiss snapped.</p><p>Yang looked away. Steadied herself while pretending to rearrange her hemline. She could do this. “We’re locked and loaded,” she said. “Let’s go over the plan.”</p><p>“Fine,” Weiss relented. “Klein lands us on the roof. We go right in through the front door.”</p><p>“Assuming an ex-heiress is still welcome,” Ruby stage-whispered to Yang.</p><p>“I am,” Weiss huffed. “If for no other reason than my disinheritance has not been made public. Father hates to make a scene, and he may not even be there tonight. Regardless, I will not be refused. Nor will my guests.”</p><p>“Well, some of us would be,” Blake pointed out, looping a piece of fabric over her ears. “If we weren’t prepared.” Once it was in place, it shimmered out of existence, seemingly taking her ears with it.</p><p>Ruby’s eyes went wide. “Shiny.”</p><p>“I still don’t like going in without our gear,” Yang said. “Why couldn’t one of us have been on the wait staff?”</p><p>Weiss blew out an exasperated sigh. It was a worn argument at this point. “Because the wait staff knows where they need to be and when. Any one of you would stand out like a sore thumb. Klein will bring your gear. You’ll only be without it for a few minutes.”</p><p>Yang grimaced, but it was too late to back out now. “Fine, then we split off from the party, not at all once, and regroup one floor down in that big conference room while Blake sweeps for guards. From there, we gear up and make our way to the ground floor, after Ruby and Blake clear a path.”</p><p>“Then I will get us into the basement,” Penny filled in, surprising all of them by being present and alert.</p><p>“Right,” Weiss said. “Security should be entirely automated. Once we’re down there, we’ll follow the path we mapped out to the objective.”</p><p>“Which is something you haven’t really shared much detail on,” Ruby mused.</p><p>“I told you enough,” Weiss hedged.</p><p>Ruby shook her head. “You said it’s as big as a box of shoes-“</p><p>“Shoebox,” Weiss corrected. “Seriously, it’s a thing.”</p><p>Ruby waved her off. “Whatever. And it’s heavy but manageable. That’s not a lot to go on. Will it have extra security? Is it dangerous to handle-?”</p><p>Weiss cut her off with a swipe of her hand. “You know as much as you need to know. Once we’ve secured the target, we head for the tunnels that lead out the back to a secret landing pad. Klein will retrieve us there.”</p><p>“Tunnels and a landing pad that aren’t in the schematics,” Ruby pointed out. “And that you’ve told us almost nothing about.”</p><p>“Because extraction is my concern,” Weiss said, dismissing her objections. “The pad is there, I assure you.”</p><p>“Yang,” Ruby said, pleading for someone to take her side. “Are you really cool with so little detail on how we’re getting out?”</p><p>Yang shrugged. She felt for Ruby, but it was a little late to be calling audibles. Besides, the last thing she could afford right now was for Weiss to think she didn’t trust her. If the exit didn’t work out, Yang always had contingencies. “Weiss says she’ll handle it, she’ll handle it. Relax, Rubes.”</p><p>Ruby did not relax. But she did let the matter drop. Yang knew she should have her back, but she couldn’t rock the boat. Not now. She was just going to keep her head down, get the job done, and get paid.</p><p>Easy.</p><p>--</p><p>Yang was stunned to find no cameras pointed their way as she exited the ship with the guiding hand of a waiting usher. She murmured a question in Ruby’s ear. A moment later, her suspicion was confirmed. There were no cameras anywhere, either waiting outside or hidden within. This was not a party thrown for the viewing of the poor. And it was all the more over the top for it. They all tried not to be dazzled. They failed.</p><p>Weiss gave them a fierce glare as she strode ahead, taking the lead and drawing them through the massive glass doors. Ruby looped her arm through Penny’s and guided her forward, trying in vain to engage the distant hacker in conversation. Yang turned at the sound of a throat purposefully cleared. She smiled as she accepted the arm that Blake was gallantly offering.</p><p>“And they say chivalry is dead,” Yang mocked as they strode toward the entrance. She fought a giggle as Ruby nearly stumbled. She’d been wobbly ever since they forced her into a set of heels. Yang thanked her natural (and admittedly enhanced) athleticism for her lack of difficulty with the awkward footwear. Still, she couldn’t deny that it was comforting to be supported by Blake with her liquid grace.</p><p>“Mhmm,” Blake hummed, her focus on the blazingly lit room ahead and the bubbling conversation of the powerful and important.</p><p>Yang wanted to ask her what she was looking for. Or maybe even ask after her reddened eyes. Neither question formed before she heard a nasal voice just ahead. “My dear sister,” it said. “Whatever are you doing here?”</p><p>“Whitely,” Weiss replied coldly, standing in front of a young man who could not have more obviously been her brother. From his snowy hair to his impeccable posture to his condescending gaze, Whitely was every inch a Schnee, just like Weiss. “I am attending a family event. Is that not allowed?”</p><p>“I suppose it still is. For the time being,” he admitted. “Though I doubt Father will be pleased. Even less so with this gaggle of hangers-on you’ve brought.”</p><p>“Father is here?” Weiss asked. Yang hoped that Whitely didn’t catch the sliver of fear that snuck through her hardened facade.</p><p>“He is,” Whitely responded cheerily. “Shall I fetch him?”</p><p>“No,” Weiss replied, a little too quickly. “I’ll find him later. My friends and I will simply be enjoying the party for now.”</p><p>“Of course,” Whitely sneered. “Enjoy the free food. Do try to remember that this event is for investors, not charity.”</p><p>He departed in a haughty blur of blue and white. They wended their way into the glamorous crowd, four of them suddenly self-conscious of how shabby they looked by comparison. Feeling all the worse for the knowledge that they were more richly dressed than they’d ever been in their lives. Weiss was not cowed, however, and stalked ahead like she owned the place. Which, of course, she didn’t. But she almost had. Clearly, she felt that she rightfully still should.</p><p>They reached a standing table in the corner, far enough from prying ears to confer quietly. Yang reached out for a drink on a passing tray, but Weiss swatted her hand and waved the server on with a gracious smile. Once he was gone, the smile evaporated. “We are not here to party. Stay focused,” she hissed.</p><p>“Come on, Weiss,” Yang said, watching the passing trays longingly. “I just wanted to try champagne. Just once.”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>“Can I at least try one of those little snacks?”</p><p>Weiss rolled her eyes. “Fine, yes. We can’t stand here all night, but we can’t risk being found out either. I’m going to mingle to keep the attention on me. You four pair stay out of trouble, and preferably out of any conversations. None of you will pass if you open your mouths. So don’t. I’ll give you the signal when it’s time.”</p><p>“Aye aye, captain,” Blake responded, offering another mocking salute. Weiss gave her a dirty look, then stalked away in search of either prey or conversation partners.</p><p><em>If there’s a difference to her</em>, mused Yang.</p><p>Blake turned to her. “Care to dance?” she asked. Yang struggled to respond.</p><p>“She would love to,” Ruby piped in, giving Yang a playful shove. “Wouldn’t you?”</p><p>“Yeah, uh, yes,” Yang said, taking Blake’s extended hand and allowing herself to be led to the dance floor. The dance floor where couples were gliding gracefully about, not grinding and gyrating like they did in the dark clubs deep in the bowels of the city. Yang froze. “Shit, Blake. I don’t know how to-“</p><p>“Relax,” Blake said, stepping in as she raised Yang’s hand in hers, sliding the other to her back. “Place your free hand on my shoulder and follow me.”</p><p>“I, oh-“</p><p>Then Yang was dancing, though it felt more like she was repeatedly trying and failing not to trip, only saved by Blake’s steady grip. After a time, the fear and awkwardness left her. Then she was simply floating, caught in the gentle current created by the delicate music and Blake’s sure hands.</p><p>Her fear and anxiety dropped away. For a single, long-held breath, she was just a girl being held and twirled and smiled at by a pretty face. It was so lovely that it took her a moment to resurface and realize that Blake was speaking to her. “Sorry, what?”</p><p>“I said,” Blake murmured, her serious eyes standing in contrast to her smiling lips. “I know that you came here with an extra mission.”</p><p>The dream evaporated, and with it, Yang’s moment of peace. She tripped again, but Blake gamely righted her, and they smiled graciously to the couple they’d narrowly avoided trampling.</p><p>“What are you talking about?” Yang whispered back, willing away the sudden cold sweat that badly wanted to give her away.</p><p>Blake spun her around. The smile never left her face, but her eyes were fierce when they came back together. “Don’t lie, not now. There isn’t much time. You really think I came here just to steal some bauble? I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to get inside this place.” Yang considered this as she added, “We could help each other.” Blake wiggled her eyebrows and dipped Yang low, surprising the solidly built woman by making it look effortless. “What do you say?”</p><p>The weight of her words sank deep into Yang’s gut. “You work with grimmgirls now?”</p><p>Blake’s mouth went tight, her eyes searching the corners of the room before they came back. “I’m in no place to judge; my hands aren’t exactly clean. But we all do what we have to. Right?”</p><p>Yang searched the room, looking for answers she wouldn’t find. She was trapped in a vortex of hope and self-loathing, spinning helplessly between the two. “What did you have in mind?” she heard herself saying.</p><p>“Simple,” Blake replied, her smile reaching her eyes this time. “I’ll back your play, you back mine. We both get what we want.”</p><p>“Do you even know my play?”</p><p>“I do.”</p><p>“How?”</p><p>She shrugged. “Lots of people hate the Schnees, the Faunus more than most. When anyone moves against them, they know they can count on our support. Especially the Fang.”</p><p>“And what’s your play?”</p><p>Blake was silent for a moment, considering. “There’s a…package being smuggled in.”</p><p>Yang’s eyes went wide. “What package? How?”</p><p>“Quiet,” Blake hissed through her smile. “Look around. Really look. Not a single Faunus at this party. But the wait staff?” She turned them methodically so Yang could get a good look. “More than half are Faunus. Of that, maybe a quarter are Fang.”</p><p>“So, what do they need you for?” Yang asked.</p><p>“I need to get it to the basement. But it’s too big to tuck into my suit’s pack.”</p><p>Yang narrowed her eyes. “You want me to carry it.”</p><p>Blake nodded, but her eyes were distant. She bit her lip, then shook away whatever thoughts were haunting her. “That’s it. You do that, and I’ll help you in any way you need.”</p><p>“Do I want to know what’s in the package?”</p><p>“Nothing you need to worry about,” Blake said, but she wouldn’t meet her eyes.</p><p>Yang started to press, but a message interrupted her as it scrolled across her HUD.</p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>It’s time.</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p>Blake nodded. She’d gotten the same one. “You’re a wonderful dance partner,” she said, kissing the back of Yang’s hand without breaking eye contact. “Thank you.”</p><p>Then she turned and strode toward the exit. Yang watched her go as the sinking feeling in her stomach grew worse. Why couldn’t they have just danced? Had one nice, uncomplicated moment? But of course, life was rarely that simple.</p><p>“No,” she murmured. “Thank you.”</p><p>Then she followed in a wave of regret and shimmering gold.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Trust Fall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yang swept through the double doors into the mercifully empty hallway. She strode down its length, following her memory more than the map in the corner of her HUD. Every clicking step echoed like an accusation as she hunted down a particular decorative plant. A quick shove revealed a large grate behind it. She removed her gloves, then prized the cover loose, ignoring its squealing protest, then placed it aside. Within the exposed duct was the duffel bag she was expecting. Next to it was another, this one unfamiliar. She scooped up hers, sighed, then shouldered the Blake's. It was small and heavy and fell across her back with a weighty thud.</p><p>She decided not to think about it too hard.</p><p>She replaced the grate and slid the plant back in front of it, then went looking for the stairs. They turned up exactly where they were supposed to, and Yang slipped off her heels so she could take them two at a time down to the next level. From there, it was a short jog to the empty conference room. Ruby stood watch outside and waved her over with visible relief.</p><p>“What’s with the extra-?” She began.</p><p>“Just some insurance, nothing to worry about,” Yang said.</p><p>“But-“</p><p>“Not now, Ruby." She strode into the room. "Weiss, how are we on time?”</p><p>Yang tried not to sweat as the woman scrutinized her. But whatever she was seeking, she didn’t find it. “Exactly on schedule. Let’s get changed.”</p><p>Yang passed around everyone’s clothes. She, Weiss, and Ruby had packed simple black pants, shirts, and boots. Nothing that would win any fashion awards, but it all compressed into a bag easily enough. And was way more functional than what they were wearing. Yang shook her head as she passed over Weiss’s stuff, which was all nearly identical yet somehow nicer than what she and Ruby were donning.</p><p>Blake was already gone, out scouting ahead in the suit that had been hiding under the one she’d left behind. Yang gathered that up, stuffed it away in the bag, then passed Penny her bundled cryo suit.</p><p>They lacked the time or space for modesty. Everyone was too busy focusing on what they had to do anyway. Ruby and Yang even had to help Penny dress. Her cryo suit was top of the line, but it was still a pain to get into the thick, rubbery material. Fortunately, once they’d stuffed her in, she was quite mobile, so long as she wasn’t jacked into the net. She checked the battery packs strapped to her waist, consulted a few dials, then gave them the thumbs up.</p><p>Yang handed around everyone’s gear, then made one final pass of her own. Everything was in order. She looked up and found Penny fiddling with an odd set of green goggles. “What are those?” she asked.</p><p>Penny grinned. “A new design I’ve been working on. Jacking into the web leaves me immobile and completely vulnerable, but only being in meat space renders me useless.”</p><p>“Okay…” Yang said, making it clear she didn’t follow.</p><p>“These goggles allow me to be somewhere in between. They will give me a view into the net, overlaid on the real. I will not be able to operate at my full speed. But I will be able to deploy daemons and monitor network activity while remaining aware of my surroundings.”</p><p>Ruby came over to examine the setup. “Penny, this is so preem. Honestly, I could kiss you.”</p><p>Penny blushed, then hurriedly pulled the goggles into place. She quickly jacked them into her deck, which she slipped into her thin backpack. “I would prefer that you not do that right now,” she said, her voice flattening as she logged in.</p><p>Ruby’s face fell, but she nodded. “Alright, my turn?”</p><p>“Let’s find out,” Yang said, glad that she hadn’t taken the brush off too hard. “Penny, we clear for a secure channel?”</p><p>“Yes,” Penny responded.</p><p>Yang nodded. "Shiny. Everyone, join in. I’ll ring Blake.”</p><p>She held her breath as she waited for a response, guiltily shoving the heavy little bag inside her larger, mostly empty one as she did. Just as she started to worry, Blake’s voice whispered across the line.</p><p>“I’m here.”</p><p>“Is everything okay?” Yang asked, fighting the urge to whisper back.</p><p>“Yeah, preem. Just a sec.”</p><p>The room went silent as they waited. A moment later, a light thud was followed by the sound of something heavy being dragged across a polished floor. The rustling stopped, and Blake returned, slightly out of breath. “The last guard on this floor is down. Penny, have we triggered any alarms?”</p><p>“Negative. No alarms are triggered, and the guards were not able to signal distress before you neutralized them. ”</p><p>“Okay,” Blake said. “Assuming Weiss is right-“</p><p>“I am,” she interjected.</p><p>“Fine, that means all of the floors below this one should be empty. All we have to deal with is the automated security system.”</p><p>“Which can only be fully deactivated from the primary security office on the ground floor,” Penny added.</p><p>“Right,” Yang said. Others might find the recital pedantic, but she had encouraged this type of talk in their planning sessions. It kept everyone on the same page and kept nerves at bay. “Blake can walk past most of the sensors, but she can’t fly, so the pressure sensors are on Ruby. You ready, Rubes?”</p><p>Ruby smiled, her silver eyes gleaming as she unfolded and cocked the rifle they’d ordered custom for this job. Like all of Ruby’s guns, it had no real sights. Instead, it linked directly to her optical implants, allowing her to aim with insane precision. Small and oddly shaped, it likely wouldn't be much use in a firefight. But it was exactly what they needed for this job. “Let’s do it,” she said.</p><p>They exited the room. Ruby leading with Yang close behind. Weiss placed her hand on Penny’s elbow, guiding her forward as they brought up the rear. They made their way to the inner walkway that ran around the central shaft. The gap on their level was no more than thirty feet across. But it widened slightly at each floor. Over the hundred or so stories to the bottom, it eventually opened up to be truly cavernous. Yang glanced over the edge and fought a wave of vertigo. It was a struggle not to think about what they were about to do.</p><p>Instead, she pulled out the cable and harness they’d brought, anchoring the first to the railing and handing the second to Ruby. She slipped it on, tightening the straps with practiced ease, then hopped up to sit on the railing. Her hands glided over her rifle, checking the safety and ensuring that everything was good to go before clipping it to her harness by a leash. Just in case.</p><p>She looked up at Yang. “Ready?” she asked.</p><p>“Ready,” Yang nodded, then clipped the free end of the cable to the harness before grabbing it and pulling it tight with her right hand.</p><p>“Let’s do it,” Ruby said. A wide grin split her lips, then she tipped over backward. Yang caught her weight with a grunt, opening her mechanical fingers enough to let her sister slowly drift downward, head first. She was surprised to hear the tinkle of laughter trailing up the rope and through her comms. There was no way the ride was comfortable, let alone fun.</p><p>“Stop,” Ruby ordered, suppressing a giggle. Yang closed her fingers. “Blake, get ready. First shot going out…now” Yang heard a sharp hiss, followed by a light thunk. “Hit,” Ruby announced.</p><p>The gun was quite a piece of hardware. With Weiss’s seemingly unlimited budget, they had been able to rush order an air-powered rifle and have it refitted to fire miniature EMP rounds. The pressure sensors ran to central junctions every three floors. The plan was to have Ruby knock each one out for a few minutes while Blake ghosted from one floor to the next, bypassing the other sensors with her suit and careful movements. Yang had originally thought they could fry every sensor and go down as a group, but Penny had sunk that plan before it even set sail. Every system allowed for errors. Otherwise, they’d offer up too many false alarms. Penny claimed that any single sensor for any single sector could fail for a short period. But if multiple sensors failed or stayed down for too long, they’d be caught.</p><p>That had led them to this crazy scheme. It was what had necessitated Blake’s help in the first place. They needed someone who could move silently past the sonic sensors, invisibly past the EM sensors, and quickly enough to stay within the window of failure for the pressure sensors. Yang couldn’t imagine how she could cover so much ground so quickly, but Blake had assured her she could. Despite her speed, it still felt like ages before she reported that she was in position. Yang was just glad that her hand never tired as she held the rope.</p><p>“Number two away,” Ruby reported. Then, “Hit.”</p><p>The minutes wore on as Blake made her way ever downward, preceded by Ruby’s unerring aim. “Away,” Ruby said for what felt like the hundredth time. “Hit…wait, miss!” she hissed. “Fuck, Yang, lower!” Yang loosened her grip, allowing the rope to whine through her fingers. “Stop…okay. Away. And...hit!”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Blake asked, shaken by the close call.</p><p>“Yes, move your ass!” Ruby retorted. Yang knew she was just mad at herself. She figured Blake wouldn't take it personally. There wasn't exactly time to tend to everyone's feelings anyway. The clock was ticking.</p><p>Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they got the report they’d been waiting for. “I’m in the midlevel security office,” Blake said. “All clear. Let me know when you’re ready to proceed.”</p><p>“Will do,” Yang replied. “Ruby, ready to come up?”</p><p>“Please, my head is pounding.”</p><p>Yang chuckled silently as she hauled her sister back up, helping her find her balance as the blood rushed away from her ruddy face. Yang accepted the EMP rifle, folded the stock, and tucked it in her bag. She handed Ruby a real one with a silencer in exchange. Hopefully, they wouldn’t need it. But if they did, there were no better hands for it to be in. Penny and Weiss had already strapped on the other toys they’d picked up, and Yang helped Ruby into hers before securing her own.</p><p>Blake was waiting with a shard that Penny had cooked up. She couldn’t grant them full control of the system from there, but even Ruby couldn’t clear a path for her all the way to the ground floor. The little device could, however, convince the security system that it had just received an update. After that, it would reboot. That would take all sensors offline for just over a minute, something that Penny assured them would look normal to the system if done only once.</p><p>One minute to go from the hundred and fifth floor to the ground. It was impossible. Unless you were comfortable doing it in under ten seconds.</p><p>The others hopped up on the railing, dangling their feet over the dizzying drop. Yang hefted her bag, made some adjustments that would hopefully keep her alive, then joined them, balancing precariously. “We’re ready,” she announced.</p><p>“Okay, shard in. Processing,” Blake narrated. “System reboot prompt, yes, and… Down.”</p><p>“Go,” Yang responded. Then tipped out into space.</p><p>Yang remembered when she first heard about base jumping. It was the ultimate hobby for adrenaline junkies: jumping off things and opening a parachute with such a small margin of error that taking up the sport was supposed to cut your life expectancy in half. Then again, growing up on the streets of Vale didn’t offer a very rosy outlook either, so maybe that’s why it had appealed. Still, she’d never had the time or opportunity.</p><p>Until now.</p><p>Base jumping didn't usually happen indoors, and they had forgone the parachutes entirely. But Penny had run the numbers on every scenario, and there was just no way to safely and quickly get from top to bottom without some amount of free fall. Cables would snap if they tried to repel that far that fast, and the length needed would be too bulky and cumbersome. Parachutes wouldn’t have time or room to open.</p><p>But Qrow knew a guy who knew a guy who…that old story. The madman had been working on tiny, wearable jump jets to let him rob banks and just…jump away, or something. The robberies hadn’t gone well, but the jets worked fine. Yang hadn’t cared about how high they could go, just about how softly they landed. Now she was about to test them.</p><p>The first few seconds were eerily peaceful. The still, perfectly temperate air whispered past her ears as she fell toward the ghostly marble far below. The whisper turned to a murmur, the murmur to a whistle, the whistle to a roar; the distant floor a fast-approaching doom. She hardly registered the first firing as the jets around her waist angled her upright. At least she had enough sense to bend her knees lightly as they roared to life in earnest, slamming the various straps painfully into her hips and legs to rapidly slow her descent.</p><p>Not enough.</p><p>She had tried to adjust for the additional weight of Blake’s bag, but she’d undershot. Her feet slammed down. She felt her enhanced bones and tendons strain as she pitched forward, driving the knuckles of her right hand into the ground to stop herself with a sickening crunch. She grimaced as she forced herself upright, frowning down at the deep grooves she’d left in the cracked marble.</p><p>“And you thought you didn’t need someone to handle stealth,” came a voice from thin air a few feet away.</p><p>“Gee, I wonder why I fell so hard, Blake,” she growled.</p><p>She said no more, as Ruby was already trotting over with a worried look. Other than wind-ruffled hair, she seemed no worse for the wear. “Are you okay? It looked like you hit kind of hard.”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Yang assured her, then waved at the floor. “Though we won’t exactly leave without a trace.”</p><p>“Well, that’s just perfect,” Weiss sniped as she jogged past, Penny in tow. “Follow me before you manage to leave a more obvious trail.”</p><p>Yang glowered but followed her, Ruby in tow and Blake ghosting along behind. Her insane plan had worked. She wanted to feel proud, exultant even. But her botched landing felt like a bad omen. She shifted the burdensome weight on her back. Unfortunately, she could do nothing to alleviate the one in her gut.</p><p>--</p><p>“Quickly, in here,” Weiss snapped, waving them all into the security office.</p><p>Yang, last in the room, looked around as Penny knelt by a blinking rack of servers. “How are we on time?”</p><p>“Fifteen seconds until sensors are online,” Penny said. She plugged a wire into the port she was seeking, then fished a cable out of her backpack. “Plenty of time.” She jacked the cable into her neural socket with practiced ease. Her chin slumped onto her chest. After a brief pause, her voice came over their comms. “Security office sensors offline. I have overwritten the logs to indicate there was a late-night system check to explain the deviation. I have also added a patrol path leading down into the desired sublevel. We will still need to deal with the doors in our path, but all sensors along our route are deactivated.”</p><p>“Perfect,” Weiss said. “Let’s move.”</p><p>Penny blinked her eyes open behind her translucent goggles. She reached up and unplugged. Then stood and looked at the server curiously. Ruby joined her, reaching up to touch her shoulder. “What is it?”</p><p>“I,” Penny said, shaking her head. “I may have been mistaken, but while I was in their system, I saw no fewer than twenty-eight ways I could have penetrated their network from the outside.”</p><p>“Fascinating,” Weiss snapped. “We need to go.”</p><p>Yang held up her hand. Penny never offered details that weren’t relevant. “Easy there, Princess. Penny, what are you saying? That we didn’t need to do any of that?”</p><p>“Unclear. The jump may still have been required, but it was not strictly necessary for me to be here. It may have even been easier for me to disarm the doors in our path remotely. I do not know how I missed this.”</p><p>“We can figure it out in the <em>post mortem</em>. Let’s go,” Weiss insisted.</p><p>“Odd choice of words,” Blake muttered.</p><p>Yang ignored her. She didn’t understand corporate-speak, and she knew just as much about netrunning, but she knew a budding double-cross when she saw one. She wished she was surprised. Still, she couldn’t show her hand. Not yet. “We continue with the plan,” she announced to the twitchy group, then glared at Weiss. “But there better be no more surprises.”</p><p>“I’m not sure why you’re looking at me. I’m not the one who missed twenty-eight obvious vulnerabilities.”</p><p>Penny’s head fell, but it was Ruby who responded. “She’s the best. If she missed something, it wasn’t obvious. So why don’t you take your attitude and-“</p><p>“Enough,” Yang said, stepping between them. “Ruby, you’re on point. Weiss and Penny follow. I’ll bring up the rear while Blake scouts. I don’t want to hear any bickering. Move.”</p><p>Ruby snorted and turned toward the door as Penny fell in behind her. Yang turned just in time to catch a smugly triumphant look on Weiss’s face and reached out to snatch her arm in an iron grip. “No more surprises, I mean it,” she growled.</p><p>Weiss gave her a pert smile, and it was everything Yang could do not to wipe it from her face. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” she said, then followed Penny and Ruby into the hall.</p><p>When they were alone, Blake swept up beside Yang. “I’ll signal you when I’m ready,” she said as she pulled up her hood and prepared to vanish. “We’ll need to split off from the others, but it will only take a minute.” Then she was gone.</p><p>“Preem,” Yang muttered, adjusting the bag and stalking out of the empty office.</p><p>--</p><p>They descended into the lower levels. The route they had chosen was circuitous. Both to pass muster as a guard’s patrol path and to avoid what Penny had identified as the most difficult doors to bypass.</p><p>They paused at each while she jacked in and overcame the digital defenses on the lock. At first, she did this through her goggles, running daemons she’d developed ahead of time but doing little manual work herself. The deeper they pushed, the longer her overrides took. Eventually, she was forced to manually jack into each door. Yang felt herself growing as impatient as the pacing Weiss obviously was. Then one empty corridor led to another. And another. Soon, all of the armored doors blurred together, and Yang sank into something of a stupor. Given the reality of where she was, what she was doing, boredom should have been out of the question. But there it was.</p><p>She nearly jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She was steadied by a soft voice in her ear. “It’s me, and it’s time.”</p><p>Preem. Yang sighed and wished that, just once, her life could be simple. This job was supposed to be that. Not easy, no, but simple. Her big payday, a fresh start. Right. “Ruby, keep an eye on these two,” she said, turning back the way they came. “We haven’t heard from Blake in a while. I’m going to go make sure we aren’t being followed.”</p><p>Ruby gave her a questioning look, then shrugged. Always so quick to trust. “Shiny. We’ll be here.”</p><p>“Waiting,” Weiss added, unnecessarily.</p><p>Yang strode back along their path, waiting for Blake to flag her down. She didn’t have to wait long.</p><p>“Over here.”</p><p>Yang turned a corner and saw a floating head appear down the next hallway, then the rest of Blake shimmered into view. She approached and pulled the heavy bag from her duffel and handed it over. Somehow, she didn’t feel any lighter. “Okay, now will you tell me what’s in the bag?”</p><p>“Do you know where we are?” Blake asked.</p><p>Yang consulted the map in her HUD. “We’re next to the base of the main support column,” she replied. Then her bad feeling solidified. “Fuck, that’s a bomb. Isn’t it?”</p><p>Blake’s face was grim as she unzipped the bag and fiddled with the device inside. “Yes,” she confirmed, then zipped it shut and set it next to the wall. “I’ve already got the detonator, and now it’s armed. One tap, this whole building comes down.”</p><p>“With us underneath it.”</p><p>“No,” Blake insisted. “I’ll wait until we’re out. This isn’t meant to be a suicide mission. Yang.”</p><p>“Meant to be?”</p><p>Blake’s lips went tight. “I’ll do what I have to.”</p><p>“Even if means dying?”</p><p>She blinked her eyes rapidly. “If it comes to that, yes!” she insisted. “I’m prepared to make a necessary sacrifice for my people.”</p><p>Yang saw the half-lie. Heard the parroting of someone else’s words. There was no shame in being afraid to die. Still. “What about Ruby? Penny? You going to sacrifice them too?” Her face flushed, but screw it. The time for subtlety was long past. “You going to kill me?”</p><p>“I,” Blake fumbled. “No,” she said, then with more certainty. “No. I’ll make sure you’re all out. I swear.”</p><p>Her resolve was crumbling, so Yang pressed her. “What about everyone upstairs? Or are they just more necessary sacrifices?”</p><p>Blake hesitated. “The Fang will be out in time. They’ll try to convince as many of the Faunus to leave as they can.”</p><p>“And everyone else?”</p><p>“Those wealthy parasites deserve to die, and you know it!”</p><p>Yang shook her head. “Not really my place to decide. But let’s say they do. What about the rest of the staff? The servers, the chauffeurs, those security guards that you left unconscious on the top floor? What about them?”</p><p>“I,” Blake faltered. “I don’t like it, Yang,” she pleaded. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, I don’t. But do you have any idea what my people have suffered because of the Schnees? And I’m not just talking about the abusive labor policies or lobbying to classify us as less than human. Or even the attacks.” She stepped close to Yang, visibly trembling. “They kidnap us, run experiments on us, use us as lab rats, and then discard us when they’re done. No more. I’m going to send a message to the other corporations. We won’t stand for this anymore.”</p><p>“Blake-“</p><p>“Yang!” she cried, tears threatening to break free of her eyes. “You said you’d help me. You have. Please don’t try to stop me now. All you have to do is what you came here to do. Hell, assuming he’s still upstairs, you may not even have to go kill Jacques. The bomb should take care of that for you! We’ll help each other. Like we agreed. Let’s just go.”</p><p>“Blake,” Yang repeated. A world of anguish in one syllable. “You’ve completely misunderstood. I’m not here for Jacques, and I can’t let you blow up this building.”</p><p>“What?” Blake gasped, stepping back. “You’re not? You can’t…what are you talking about?”</p><p>“You got bad intel. Jacques is the one who hired me,” Yang explained, edging forward. “Through an intermediary, of course. Hand over the detonator. Please.” </p><p>Blake’s eyes went wide, and she stepped back again. “No,” she whispered. Her shock was palpable.</p><p>She started to raise her hood, but Yang shook her head. “Don’t,” she warned, her right arm raising in a golden flash. A mechanical whir sounded as the back of her forearm lifted and a broad barrel rose out, leveled directly at Blake. “It launches a wide-area explosive. This hallway is narrow; I don’t need to be able to see you.”</p><p>“It was me,” Blake gasped, releasing her hood and raising her open hands. “You were sent to kill me.”</p><p>Silence hung heavily between them. Yang cocked her head. “What?” she asked, honestly perplexed. “No. Why would I kill you?”</p><p>Blake narrowed her eyes, then placed a hand on her chest. “Blake Belladonna. Faunus rights activist, member of the Fang.” Yang continued to stare in confusion. “Daughter of Ghira and Kali Belladonna, de facto leaders of the independent Faunus nation, Menagerie. My family has been in all but open war with the Schnees for years. Is none of this ringing any bells?”</p><p>Yang shrugged. “Why the fuck would I know any of that? I just needed someone sneaky. My uncle pointed you out. That’s all. I didn’t ask for your family history. I just can’t have you flatlining my client before I get paid. Please hand over the detonator.”</p><p>Blake glared at her. Yang gestured with the intimidating barrel, indicating her impatience. Blake made a disgusted noise in her throat, fished out the device, and tossed it over. Yang caught it deftly in her left hand as her right arm collapsed back to its normal form. She looked at it, then tucked it away in her pocket.</p><p>She considered the bomb silently, then looked back at Blake. “How about this? I won’t disarm your bomb, and maybe after we leave, an anonymous tip can be sent to Jacques so he clears out. I wasn’t hired to stop a building from exploding. Truce?”</p><p>Blake’s lip curled, but even though there was no longer a gun pointed at her, she knew she was still backed into a corner. “Fine,” she spat. “Truce.”</p><p>“Come on,” Yang said, relieved. “Let’s get back.”</p><p>Blake followed her for a few strides before curiosity got the better of her. “Wait,” she said, stopping in place. “Who were you sent to kill?”</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Blood Tax</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning: there is a brief description of a somewhat intense wound in this chapter. It is not drawn out or vivid, but it is there.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Weiss was fuming when Yang and Blake caught up. Penny had only cracked one door while they were gone. Yang checked her map, one to go.</p><p>“I think she’s stalling on purpose!” Weiss shouted, pacing around the unresponsive hacker.</p><p>Penny couldn’t hear—unless she was listening over comms—so Ruby bore the brunt of her fury. “Chill. Penny always does her best. She would never sabotage the mission.”</p><p>“Yeah, Weiss,” Yang chimed in, striding down the hall with Blake by her side. “Penny will come through. She always does.”</p><p>“And where were you two?” Weiss demanded, wheeling on them and bringing her rage with her.</p><p>“Nowhere,” Blake blurted. Too quickly.</p><p>Yang fought the urge to roll her eyes right out of their sockets. “Sweeping our trail, ensuring no one is following,” she said. “We’re clear.” Less than eager to be pressed, she pinged the comm line. “Penny, report.” Silence. “Penny?”</p><p>“I’m done waiting,” Weiss said. In the next breath, she had a pistol leveled at the hacker’s head. “Tell her to jack out, now.” Nobody moved. Yang and Blake were frozen, too far to do anything.</p><p>Ruby, meanwhile, had already leveled her rifle at Weiss’s head.</p><p>“Easy-“ Yang said, trying to inch closer.</p><p>“Nobody move!” Weiss shouted, then she glared at Ruby. “You and I both know that shooting me will cause me to squeeze my hand. Unless you want to clean your little girlfriend’s brains off of your shirt, I suggest you lower your weapon.” Ruby bared her teeth. Slowly, she lowered her rifle, eyes brimming with rage. “Good,” Weiss said. “Now tell Penny to jack out. I won’t repeat myself again.”</p><p>“Penny?” Yang ventured, then to Weiss, “I still think you’ve got this all wrong. Penny would never-”</p><p>“Actually,” Penny said, sitting up straighter and blinking her eyes. “Weiss is correct. I have been stalling.”</p><p>Ruby gaped at her. “What?”</p><p>Weiss jabbed at her temple with the gun. “Penny, you’d best watch your-“</p><p>“I told you,” Penny said, staring daggers up at her. “You are to call me Winter Maiden, Weiss. Or should I say, ICE Queen?”</p><p>“Penny,” Yang said, “Now really isn’t the time to be calling names.”</p><p>“No,” Penny insisted. “Not Ice Queen, ICE, intrusion countermeasures electronics. ICE Queen was her handle, back when she ran the net.”</p><p>Weiss sniffed. “Yes, well, that was a long time ago. Before we crossed paths and you humiliated me. I’m honestly surprised it took you so long to figure out.”</p><p>“Is that what this is about?” Ruby demanded. “Revenge?”</p><p>“Shit,” Yang said, cuffing herself in the forehead. “That’s why Penny missed the intrusion points. You interfered. You wanted her here.”</p><p>“I have surmised the same thing,” Penny said, watching Weiss closely. “Her growing frustration is because she could have cleared these doors easily, despite her inferior skills. The defenses are based on her design.”</p><p>“I’m done talking,” Weiss said, fishing in her jacket.</p><p>“You won’t walk away from this,” Yang said, inching closer. Blake was following her lead, slipping her hood up as slowly as possible. Suddenly their deal was looking rather fortuitous.</p><p>“We'll see about that,” Weiss replied, her tone triumphant as it was cold. “Here,” she said, handing a shard to Penny. “Jack that in.”</p><p>“I will not-“</p><p>“You will,” Weiss said, jabbing her head again with the gun. “Or you die. Period. Do it.”</p><p>Penny looked at her friends, then down at the shard. She let out a resigned sigh, slotted it in, then slumped forward.</p><p>Ruby lunged for her, stopping as the pistol leveled on her. “What did you do?” she demanded.</p><p>“It’s a simple daemon,” Weiss stated. “Essentially, I wrapped her mind in ICE. Even if you remove the shard, it won’t come down. Without me, she stays catatonic forever. But if you all cooperate, I’ll release her after she’s helped me.”</p><p>“Helped you what?” Ruby asked.</p><p>“That doesn’t concern you, not anymore. Now go sit on the other side of the hall, all of you. Hands where I can see them. And Blake,” she added, narrowing her eyes at her. “If you so much as flicker, I will shoot someone. Are we clear?”</p><p>Blake looked at Yang, who nodded slightly. “Crystal,” she said to Weiss.</p><p>All of them crowded near the previous doorway, sliding down the wall to the floor under Weiss’s cold eyes. Yang saw something else there, behind the hard exterior. Fear? Desperation, maybe? Whatever it was, it was gone in a flash. Weiss jammed another shard she’d produced into the wall. The door popped open, revealing some sort of lab beyond.</p><p>“Don’t move,” she reminded them, reaching down with her free hand to grab Penny by the collar. She dragged her beyond the threshold and slammed her hand down on the control panel on the far side. The door hissed shut, leaving the three remaining in stunned silence.</p><p>--</p><p>Yang watched as Ruby flung her body impotently against the unyielding door. Crying out for Penny, crying out for help, finding neither. How had it gone so wrong? She had expected trouble, but for her alone. It never occurred to her that anyone she cared about could get hurt. Now Penny was…</p><p>“Yang!” Ruby cried again, snapping her out of her haze of self-pity. “What are you doing? Come on!”</p><p>“Ruby,” Yang pleaded, gesturing at the door that was at least an inch thick of some solid alloy. “The fuck am I supposed to do?”</p><p>Blake was pacing furiously. “This is what you get for hesitating. You should have just done it when you had the chance.”</p><p>Ruby stopped her banging and whirled around, looking furiously between Blake and Yang. “Done what?”</p><p>“Nothing,” Yang said, hauling herself to her feet. Turning to Blake, she added, “And I wasn’t about to risk Penny’s life.”</p><p>“She’s not exactly in better off now,” Blake fired back. “Unless you think that corpo scum isn’t going to leave her to die after wringing whatever usefulness she can out of her.” She held out her hand. “Give it back. Now we do this my way.”</p><p>“No, Penny’s still in there-“</p><p>“Do what?!” Ruby roared, stepping in between them.</p><p>Yang froze. Ruby’s fury seemed to be closing off her airway. Explaining was out of the question. Ruby growled in frustration and turned to Blake.</p><p>“She’s been hired to zero Weiss,” Blake said, looking away and crossing her arms.</p><p>“What?!” Ruby cried.</p><p>The look in her eyes when she turned back was a knife straight to the heart. Yang glared over her shoulder at Blake. “Gee, thanks, partner. While we’re sharing, should I mention that you’re planning to blow the whole fucking building up around us?”</p><p>“I was going to wait until we were out!” Blake cried. She slumped once the words left her lips. They had done far less to prove her innocence than perhaps she had anticipated.</p><p>Ruby threw her hands up and paced away, flinging herself to the floor in front of the locked door and cradling her head in her hands.</p><p>Yang stepped forward, holding out a hand. Looking to comfort. “Ruby-“</p><p>“No, don’t come near me!” Ruby snapped, looking up at her in disbelief. “I didn’t even want to do this job. Remember?”</p><p>“Yeah, I-“</p><p>“And now, apparently, I’m the only one trying to actually do it!” She was met only with guilt-ridden silence, but she wasn’t done. “When, exactly, were you planning on telling me about this?”</p><p>Yang took a deep breath. “Honestly? I was hoping not to.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Look,” Yang said, guilt gradually giving way to indignation. “The guy who gave me the contract, he figured there was a good chance she’d try to betray us. I was going to kill her then. Say I had no choice. I just thought it would be after we acquired the tech.”</p><p>“Oh, so you walked us into a trap, knowing it was a trap? All so you could kill the person who hired us. And lie about why! That’s just preem,” Ruby raged. “Did you even have a way out, assuming your brilliant plan had worked?”</p><p>“Of course! We were going to pass back through the party. My contact said he’d send a ship. We’d get a ride in exchange for whatever we’d stolen plus…proof that the job was complete.”</p><p>“I can’t believe you.”</p><p>“What do you want? A fucking apology?” Yang cried, her voice rising with her anger. “Look, I messed up my timing, sure, but that’s it.” She was all but frothing, years of pent up rage, mostly at herself, were preparing to boil over. “I won’t apologize for taking the contract, just like I won’t apologize for taking the others.”</p><p>“The…others?” Ruby asked, her eyes growing in horror. Her eyes. Those beautiful, magical, expensive eyes.</p><p>“Yes, others,” Yang spat. Too late now, she’d held back for so long. No longer. “Tell me, Ruby, how did you get those eyes?”</p><p>“What?” Ruby asked, shaking her head in confusion. “I,” she stopped. Thought. “I must have gotten them from Ratch, our normal guy…I mean, right?”</p><p>“I don’t know, did you?” Yang challenged, playing at indifference. “Why those? Why not just standard optics like mine?”</p><p>“It, I…” Ruby held her head as she ran into an empty space where there should have been a clear answer. “I’m a good shot. We decided I should have good optics. That’s…I mean that has to be-“</p><p>“Good? Good?! Those are the best, and they’re not just lens inserts. Full eye, socket, and muscular replacements. Not to mention new optic nerves. That shit doesn’t come cheap.”</p><p>“What are you saying?” Ruby asked, tears streaming down her face.</p><p>But they only drove Yang further. Those tear ducts had a price tag, after all. “How about my arm? Why did I ditch my ‘ganic hand? My dominant hand. Why?” Ruby blurred as tears flowed in Yang’s own eyes, but they did little to cool her anger.</p><p>Blake rested a hand gently on her shoulder. “Yang, maybe this isn’t the time-“</p><p>But she shook her off. “You’re right. We’re way past the time. Answer me, Ruby.”</p><p>“I can’t,” Ruby whimpered. “I can’t remember. Yang, what’s wrong with me?”</p><p>“Nothing,” Yang said. “Nothing,” she repeated. “Because I fixed it. Fixed both of us. I did what I had to.”</p><p>“But-“</p><p>“It was such a stupid job,” Yang went on, lost in memory, talking mostly to herself. “I was the one who didn’t want to take it that time. Remember?” Her smile was manic. Ruby shook her head. “No, no. Of course not. Sorry,” she mumbled self-consciously. “But I didn’t. It was all but charity, trying to help some sad sack’s son whose chipset was fried. He was crazy, acting erratically. The cops would have put him down, but you offered to help. Said you could bring her son back,” Yang laughed hollowly.</p><p>“Anyway, we tracked him down. Found him in some ratty basement, getting ready to off himself with this wack compound he’d cooked up. Guess he’d been some sort of chem wizard before he cracked.” She looked down at her golden hand, flexing the fingers into a fist. “You tried to talk him down. I was circling around to grab him. I was going to knock him senseless, but it really seemed like you were getting through to him.” Yang closed her eyes, the memory still seared in her mind. “He was laughing and joking with you when he flicked the vial in your face. I saw his hand jerk up, lunged for it. Thought I was in time. Almost was. Caught all but two little drops.” She looked up at her little sister, her rage lost as she remembered. “You were screaming so loud that I didn’t notice my own pain. I saw your eyes dissolve, Ruby. I <em>saw</em>. Then I realized my arm was on fire. Then I didn’t have an arm.</p><p>“I must've brained that dude. No clue if he lived. I was out of my mind with pain and fear. Somehow, I dragged us to Ratch. He stabilized us. Said there was nothing he could do for you. I begged. Offered him anything. Anything. He made some calls. Some man showed up, promised he could fix you, but I’d have to do some jobs for him.”</p><p>“Jobs like this one?” Ruby asked, looking like the little girl Yang remembered running around the streets with as a kid.</p><p>“Yeah,” she said, not able to look at her when she did. “A couple of low levels to prove myself, pay for my arm, a few other upgrades. Then the real job. Some minor boss was making moves, hoping to take over a rival gang in bed with a corporation. The corps were the ones paying. The guy I met with was just a middle man. I didn’t realize it was SchneeCorp until he called the other day.”</p><p>“And you just…flatlined them?”</p><p>“I needed the money. I had no other way to get it,” Yang said, unsure if she still felt guilty. Worried that she didn’t. What that meant. “It wasn’t until after that I found out they’d recorded everything. Said if I ever ignored a call, they’d send the vids to the family and friends of my…targets. Then they’d go after you.” She shook that image out of her head. “My payment this time was supposed to be the recordings. Our freedom.” She grimaced. “That, and triple what Weiss offered.” </p><p>Ruby stared at her. “So you became some corpo’s grimmgirl? Just like that?”</p><p>“I did what I had to do!” Yang shot back, some of her anger returning. “I did what needed to be done to protect you. Like always.”</p><p>Ruby covered her eyes. The eyes she’d treasured for years, not really knowing where they came from. She'd always been infatuated with their silvery hue. They made her feel special. Her good luck charms. And now she knew they were paid for in blood.</p><p>“Why can’t I remember?” she moaned through her fingers.</p><p>“When you finally woke up, you wouldn’t stop screaming.” There was no anger now. It was all Yang could do not to break down at the memory. “They shot you full of every pain killer they had, but it didn’t matter. They said the pain was psychosomatic. You were stuck in the moment you got hit with the acid. Like it was on a loop.” She clutched her head, scrunching her eyes as the cries of her baby sister filled her mind. Gradually, they faded. “The docs weren’t getting paid to be nice, and they wanted us gone, so they wiped your memory from the weeks before.” Part of Yang had always wished she’d asked for the same treatment. Anything to forget. But no such luck. “You were confused for a few days when we got home. Then it was like it never happened. Ratch kept his mouth shut, and no one else knew. The story was you just saved up and got some shiny new implants.”</p><p>There was a long silence after she finished. Suddenly exhausted, Yang threw herself down against the wall, leaning her head back and letting the fluorescent lights overhead burn into her eyes through her eyelids. Eventually, Ruby spoke. “Yang, I don’t know what to say.”</p><p>Yang laughed, then wiped her tears aside. “I’d settle for a ‘thanks, sis.’”</p><p>Ruby looked at her, but she didn’t share in the laugh. “No.”</p><p>“Excuse me?”</p><p>“No. I won’t thank you. Not for this.” Ruby shook her head, staring down at her hands. “I’m sorry, Yang. I’m so sorry you went through that. I’m sorry you felt like you had to do all of those things for me.”</p><p>“I did have to do them,” Yang protested.</p><p>“No, you didn’t,” Ruby replied, her voice low and sure. “My eyes were not worth the lives of others.”</p><p>“They weren’t exactly angels-“</p><p>“It was still wrong!” Ruby fumed. “It wasn’t a matter of self-defense. It wasn’t like you didn’t have a choice. Did you think I would want that? Want you to take lives? So, what? I could shoot again?”</p><p>“So you could help people!” Yang cried. “That’s what you always do. You help people. You always do the right thing. I pay your rent, I feed you, I keep you safe so you can keep doing the right thing.”</p><p>“And that makes it okay for you to do the wrong thing?”</p><p>“I…” Yang faltered. Never before had she doubted her place world. But now?</p><p>“Yang, you can’t declare yourself good by proxy because you help me. Fine, I lean on you too much, and that’s on me, but I never wanted you to kill anyone for me.”</p><p>“Would you rather be blind and in pain?”</p><p>“Honestly?” Ruby said. Then she faltered. “I don’t know. But I would have liked to be given a choice.”</p><p>There it was. Yang had always known Ruby would oppose what she did. But it had always seemed so necessary, so right, that she never thought about offering her sister a choice. Or herself one, for that matter. Had she really convinced herself that becoming a murderer was the only option?</p><p>“I,” But there was no argument left in her. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed, catching her head in her mismatched hands. “Oh, god. I’m so sorry.”</p><p>Ruby was on her in a flash, her lithe arms barely wrapping around Yang’s broad shoulders. “I know,” she said. “I know you are. I’m sorry for making you carry so much for so long on your own. That wasn’t fair.”</p><p>Yang leaned into her slight frame. “That’s what big sisters are supposed to do.”</p><p>“Maybe,” Ruby said, holding her tight. “But not this much. Not like this. I’m a big girl, time to start acting like it.”</p><p>“Alright,” Yang agreed. “I’ll…I’m going to do better. Be better. I promise.”  She took a shuddering breath. “I love you, Rubes.”</p><p>“I love you too.”</p><p>“I really hate to break up this tender moment,” Blake said, wincing as the sisters looked up at her. “But we’re still in the basement of SchneeCorp, and Penny-“</p><p>“Fuck, Penny!” Ruby cried, leaping to her feet.</p><p>Yang hauled herself up, shaking out her limbs. “Look, I promise I won’t do it for the money, but if that bitch hurt Penny-”</p><p>“You’ll have to get in line,” Ruby declared, scooping up her rifle. “But first, we need to get through that door.”</p><p>“Back up, both of you,” Yang said, taking a few steps back herself. When Blake and Ruby were both behind her, she raised her arm at the door and opened her forearm. There wasn’t much need to aim her arm cannon. She really just had to point it in the general direction of anything she wanted gone. She took a breath, then fired. Her shoulder barely registered the kickback, but she was nearly blown from her feet when the round erupted against the door.</p><p>Fire suppressant rushed from the ceiling as the smoke cleared. With nothing to burn, it quickly petered out. Somewhere behind them, an alarm sounded. Then it was silenced. The women looked at each other, then back at the door.</p><p>“Fuck,” Ruby said. It was still standing.</p><p>“Wait,” Blake said. She trotted forward, running her hand around the edges. “There are cracks in the frame. Small, but they’re there. Do you have another round?”</p><p>Yang shook her head. “No, it only holds one at a time.” She walked up to the door, examining the damage for herself. “But I can work with this.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Breakthrough</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em>Activate Afterburn?</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p><br/>
“What are you doing?” Blake asked.</p><p>“Oh shit,” Ruby said. “Yang, are you sure?”</p><p>Yang turned and flashed a smile, though she was sure it was far from comforting. The stim unit always made her more than a little feral, and she’d wired it up so it turned her optics red. There was no purpose to that. Not really. But it tended to make people hesitate before messing with her.</p><p>As they should.</p><p>She began to sweat as her body temperature rose. Her muscles throbbed with blood and power and rage. She pulled back and exploded forward, striking the cracked edged of the door frame like a battering ram with her metal knuckles. She rained down hammer-blows, over and over. Up and down the wall she went, exposing bent rebar and crumbling concrete underneath. Then she focused on one spot, about chest high, ramming her fist into it while her breath came in snorting gasps. She punched the spot repeatedly, ignoring the damage reports cropping up on her HUD, refusing to slow until light showed through.</p><p>She stopped for two breaths. But Afterburn wouldn’t let her rest. Not that she needed to. She drove both hands into the opening she’d made, then planted her feet and heaved. With every enhanced muscle in her body, she strained and fought. She turned her unyielding will into an unstoppable force, concentrated on the immovable door.</p><p>It moved.</p><p>An inch.</p><p>Then two.</p><p>Then it was grinding and sparking and crumpling, and sliding back into the opposite wall. It jammed halfway, but even Yang’s seething mind knew that was enough. She stopped, then gave it one more wrenching twist to make sure it could never slide shut again.</p><p>She charged through the gap. There was no strategy, no wariness of danger awaiting her. She thought only of reaching Penny, reaching her friend. There she was, straight ahead, slumped over a large metal box.</p><p>Yang never heard the gunshot. Just felt her balance shift suddenly backward. She pinwheeled her arms, still fueled by inhuman strength, and overcorrected until she fell forward. She tumbled onto the strange container, its surface cool against her burning forehead. The last thing she saw before the world went black was a ghost.</p><p>--</p><p>“I’ll kill you! I swear to god, I’ll kill you!”</p><p>Who was yelling? Why were they so upset?</p><p>“Get Penny out. Now! Oh Yang, please get up. Please...”</p><p>Ruby? Did something happen?</p><p>Yang blinked her eyes open, saw Penny a few feet away. Felt the aching bruise on her chest. From where she’d been shot.</p><p>Right.</p><p>She rubbed her sternum, then sent a small prayer of thanks to Ratch. She’d tested the subdermal weave a few times, but never quite so thoroughly. She’d have a hell of a bruise, but that was better than having a funeral.</p><p>If only she could get herself upright. The effects of Afterburn had clearly worn off, and it had left her dazed and lethargic, as it had the few other times she’d really pushed it. No rest for the weary.</p><p>“Penny is helping me,” Weiss was saying. “She can tell you herself, just let me unblock comms.”</p><p>“Don’t you fucking move unless it’s to let Penny out,” Ruby snapped.</p><p>“Look, I-“</p><p>Whatever Weiss had been about to say, something stopped her. Yang jerked her head up and then worried that she had a concussion. There was a floating sword at Weiss’s throat.</p><p>A black sword.</p><p>“Wait,” Yang mumbled, forcing herself up by leaning hard on the cool metal before her. “Stop.”</p><p>“Yang!” Ruby and Blake cried in unison.</p><p>“I’m fine,” she said, coughing in a way that undermined her point. “Seriously. And we need to hear Weiss out.”</p><p>“Why?” Ruby demanded, not lowering her gun.</p><p>Yang looked down at the pale face wreathed in snow-white hair beneath the window at the top of the box. “Because I think that’s her mom.”</p><p>Ruby gaped at Yang, then refocused on Weiss. “Explain, now.”</p><p>“Can you at least tell Blake to back off?” Weiss said, keeping her head very still.</p><p>Ruby jerked her head, and the sword lowered. Then it vanished. After a brief hesitation, Blake shimmered into existence and crossed her arms. “Happy?”</p><p>“Hardly,” Weiss grumbled, dusting herself off. “They probably heard you in the SchneeCorp headquarters up in orbit.”</p><p>Ruby glared at her. “Clock’s ticking, princess. My trigger finger is itchy.”</p><p>“Fine,” Weiss snapped. “Though you can all relax, your friend is fine." They did, slightly, and Weiss went on, "That is my mother. She disappeared nearly ten years ago. It appears that she’s been in cryostasis ever since. The public story was that she was in rehab. My father told us she’d gotten drunk and fallen off her yacht. That no body was found. I knew it was a lie.”</p><p>“How?” Blake prompted.</p><p>“Because my mom wasn’t a drunk. She would have a few glasses at dinner parties and play up her intoxication as a way to embarrass my father; that's all. Their marriage was not a happy one.”</p><p>“Clearly,” Yang remarked.</p><p>Weiss glared at her. “The point is, I knew he was lying. I took up netrunning in my spare time to dig around our network, to try to find what had happened to her. Then I did.”</p><p>“Okay. Why not go to the police?” Yang asked.</p><p>“The police?” Weiss laughed. “Please, introduce me to an officer my father doesn’t own. I’ll wait.”</p><p>“She has a point,” Blake conceded.</p><p>“Fine,” Yang said. “We’re here. She’s there. Let’s grab her and go.”</p><p>Weiss rolled her eyes. “Do you really think it’s that simple? This is just her body. Any mercenaries could have done that job. We need to free her mind.”</p><p>“Her mind?” Ruby said, finally lowering her rifle.</p><p>“Yes. From what I could gather, my mother was on the verge of a breakthrough. She was going to create the first AI cloned from a human mind. But something happened, and she shut down the project. My father was furious; he must have retaliated. He’s the businessman of the family, but my mom was always the brain behind SchneeCorp's greatest discoveries. I’m not sure what he’s trying to get from her but he’s keeping her consciousness locked in an extremely sophisticated digital prison. I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark, but I needed to save my mother, and it was clear that I wasn’t up to the task.”</p><p>“That’s why you needed Penny,” Ruby said.</p><p>“I needed the Winter Maiden,” Weiss corrected. She smiled. “And her very capable crew.”</p><p>“Well shit,” Yang said. “All you had to do was ask. Ruby probably would have volunteered if she’d known it was for family. I might have even offered you a discount.”</p><p>Weiss let out a surprised laugh. “I hadn’t considered that.” She sobered. “But I also wasn’t sure who I could trust. I worried if my true objective got out, my father would try to stop me. I am...truly sorry for underestimating you.”</p><p>Yang grimaced. “Not sure you did.” She glanced at Ruby, then sighed. “And it seems that news of your op did leak out, though not from us. It might not be the best time to admit this, but your father hired me to kill you.”</p><p>Weiss’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t seem overly shocked. “And are you planning to collect?” she asked delicately.</p><p>“I was, but I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf.”</p><p>“Does it change things if I told you that I can’t actually pay you?”</p><p>Yang tried to play her disappointment off. “When you put it that way…”</p><p>“Yang,” Ruby admonished.</p><p>“I was just joking, jeez,” Yang said. Though, if she were honest… She shook her head. “It’s fine; it’s for a good cause. Besides, I’m not working for a dude who locks his wife in a…mind prison for a decade.”</p><p>Weiss allowed herself a small smile. “Glad to know that some mercenaries have standards.”</p><p>“Glad to know that some suits have hearts,” Yang quipped.</p><p>“Look, we can all get matching tattoos or something later,” Blake cut in. “Back to the real question: why not just kill her, or freeze her? Why imprison her mind? ” she asked. “This all seems so over the top-“</p><p>“Her mind is not simply imprisoned.”</p><p>Everyone’s attention snapped to Penny, who had suddenly sat up.</p><p>“Penny!” Ruby cried. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“I am fine, thank you,” Penny replied. She turned to Weiss. “Your mother’s mind is actively under assault. As are all of the others in this room.”</p><p>Weiss frowned. “I was afraid of that.”</p><p>“Others?” Blake asked at the same time, looking around the room. Yang followed her gaze, and it hit home that there were a dozen or so matching pods spread out in the lab. Blake rushed to one, looked in, then rushed to another. By her third, she stopped and glared at Weiss. “They’re all Faunus, aren’t they?”</p><p>“I didn’t know about this. I swear,” Weiss said, raising her hands helplessly.</p><p>Blake’s eyes blazed. “We need to get them all out, now.”</p><p>“I have been trying,” Penny said. “I have made progress, but there is a problem.”</p><p>“What is it?” Weiss asked.</p><p>“The next layer of defenses is comprised of black ICE.” Weiss’s eyes went wide, but the others waited, and Penny sighed at their ignorance. “It is an illegal defensive structure that will fry my synapses if I interface with it.”</p><p>Ruby’s hand flew to her mouth. “Penny, no.”</p><p>“Do not worry. I can bypass it, but not without alerting the system to my presence. When that happens, a resident netrunner will rush to defend.” She blinked, noticing the destroyed door for the first time. “Assuming that physical security does not arrive first.”</p><p>Yang rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, sorry about that. So what do we do?”</p><p>“I need all of you to jack in with me. When I developed the goggles, I created a piece of visualization software. It should allow you to help without really understanding the net, though you will be less effective than myself and the ICE Queen.”</p><p>“Never thought I’d be running with the Winter Maiden,” Weiss murmured, something like respect in her voice. “Kind of exciting, even if it is just a support role.”</p><p>“‘Fraid I won’t be much use,” Blake volunteered. “No chips.”</p><p>“That is fine, you can take my goggles. That way you can help and keep watch over our bodies,” Penny handed her goggles to a very reluctant Blake, then looked at the others. “Ready?”</p><p>Ruby looked at Yang, but all she could do was shrug. Not like the night could get any weirder. Why not try running the net, just to mix things up? “Let’s do it,” she said, a wild grin sneaking onto her face.</p><p>--</p><p>Yang expected some sensation of motion. Maybe a loading screen. Instead, the room around her just…changed. One moment she was sitting in the lab. The next, she stood in a vast expanse of black shot through with a loose grid of brilliant teal. She spun around and found the landscape marred by a huge structure, black within black and pulsing with a disconcerting crimson light.</p><p>“Yang!”</p><p>She turned again to see a little smear of cheery red bounding toward her. She laughed. “Hey, Ruby.”</p><p>Ruby looked down at her approximation of hands. “This is weird.”</p><p>“You think it’s weird for you?” Yang turned to find a purple shape wobbling toward them, as though drunk. “I’m seeing this and the room beyond at the same time. I think I’m going to be sick.”</p><p>Yang chuckled. “Try to hold it together, Blake.” She looked around. “Hey, where are Penny and Weiss?”</p><p>“We are here,” Penny said. Yang looked up to find a green figure hovering above them at the center of a cyclone of what looked like swords.</p><p>A pale blue figure dropped from the sky beside her, landing gracefully next to the stunned trio. “Are we ready?” Weiss asked, her hand resting on the hilt of her own sword.</p><p>“Almost,” Penny replied, lowering to just above eye level. “Hold out your hands,” she instructed.</p><p>Yang, Ruby, and Blake did as they were told. A shock seemed to run up Yang’s arms as two golden gauntlets appeared on her wrists. She looked over to find Ruby marveling over a long sniper rifle with a large, arched blade extending from the barrel. Blake was examining a thick sword, then humming in delight when she split it into two.</p><p>“Penny,” Yang said, looking down at her strange new accessories. “I don’t understand-“</p><p>“You do not have to,” Penny said. “My interface will show all threats as physical beings, their danger approximated by size and ferocity. Your weapons are, in truth, programs used to repel these threats. Do not worry about how they work. Just use them as comes naturally.”</p><p>“So it’s like a video game?” Ruby said, her excitement palpable.</p><p>“Precisely,” Penny agreed. “Only, it is a video game in which the punishment for losing is the total destruction of your mind, followed by death.”</p><p>“So not at all like a video game,” Blake muttered.</p><p>Penny ignored her comment. “I have outfitted you all with a rudimentary protective barrier, but it will degrade under attack, so be careful. I will hack the prison.” She pointed at the large glowing dome. “And you will defend me. Focus on smaller and more numerous foes. If a large or overwhelmingly powerful attacker appears, call out for Weiss, she will come to your aid.”</p><p>Blake crossed her arms. “Yeah, that’ll be the day.”</p><p>“What was that?” Weiss asked.</p><p>“Nothing, nothing.”</p><p>“If you are all ready, I will begin,” Penny said.</p><p>“Oh,” Yang said, the one fact she knew about netrunning popping to mind. “I just remembered. Don’t we need cryo suits?”</p><p>Penny’s green head swiveled side to side. “No. The three of you are receiving a much lighter neural load, so your bodies will be able to handle the slight temperature elevation.”</p><p>“What about Weiss?”</p><p>The pale blue avatar seemed to smirk. “I anticipated a possible dive into the net. My clothes are a prototype thermal regulation fabric.”</p><p>“Must be nice to always have the best,” Yang grumbled.</p><p>Ruby snickered but addressed Penny. “We’re ready,” she said.</p><p>Yang sincerely hoped they were. Penny floated down to the ground, as it were, and strode closer to the pulsing prison. Her glowing swords twirled faster, forming a tight circle in front of her that began to fill with green energy. The energy built, then surged forward in a rushing column that crashed against the unsettling black wall. Yang stumbled as the force of the impact shook what felt like the entire world. She was awed by the show of power, by seeing her friend in her element, but her attention was drawn away by a chorus of blood-chilling howls.</p><p>She turned, raising her gauntleted fists. Penny had said they would come right away, but Yang was still startled by the immediacy of the reaction. What looked like an army of monsters, black lined in red like the prison Penny was assaulting, was bearing down on their tiny crew with incredible speed. It was overwhelming. Terrifying.</p><p>So Yang attacked.</p><p>She rushed forward, with no time to hesitate or second guess. The nearest beast ran on all fours but reared up to swipe at her with terrible claws. She ducked beneath the attack and swung her fist with all her might, thrilling as her punch was punctuated by a powerful blast. The monster lurched back, then disintegrated. Yang crowed with laughter.</p><p>Then turned to find a pair of glowing eyes directly behind her.</p><p>A shot rang out, and the beast fell, just like the one before it. Yang flashed her sister a thumbs up for the well-placed shot, then joined the battle in earnest. She lashed out, downing creature after creature, surprised at how natural it felt. After a time, she was joined by a blur of purple. Blake had apparently gotten her bearings, and the two of them carved a path through the seemingly endless horde with Ruby providing cover from afar.</p><p>“Maybe we should take up netrunning,” Yang laughed, knocking one attacker back into another, stunning them long enough for Blake to chop both to pieces with her mismatched swords. “This isn’t so hard- Fuck!”</p><p>The last was shouted as she was knocked aside by a behemoth, nearly twice as large as those that had come before. The horrible beast reared up, trumpeting its victory as it prepared to crush her under its blocky feet.</p><p>It froze, then shattered into a million tiny pieces and floated away. A glowing white figure clad in ancient armor was standing where it had been, hefting its massive sword after the swing that had clearly cleaved the monster in half. A small blue form blurred past, graceful as a dancer, her sword alternating between cutting down monsters and blasting them with different colors of light. “Please don’t get cocky,” Weiss lamented as she decimated the army of creatures. “I don’t want to have to explain to the Winter Maiden how I let her friends get themselves zeroed.”</p><p>“Your face is cocky,” Yang grumbled, picking herself up.</p><p>“What was that?” Weiss asked, an odd hint of playful mockery in her tone. “Did you say thank you?”</p><p>Yang grumbled a bit more, but Blake’s gentle laugh brought a smile to her face. “Thank you, ICE Queen.”</p><p>“You’re welcome.”</p><p>And so it continued. Yang and Blake eventually had to retreat back to Ruby’s position, sticking to the weaker enemies that slipped past Weiss and her knight. Ruby’s odd weapon proved more than capable in close quarters as their breathing room evaporated. They fought on, but Yang didn’t like that they seemed to be giving up ground consistently.</p><p>Weiss reappeared, spelling them for a moment by clearing the group around them with seemingly little effort. “We’re in trouble,” she said. “The resident netrunner has had enough of sending his daemons. He’s on his way. Penny,” she called. “How much longer?”</p><p>Penny was continuing to blast the dark dome, and Yang noticed that it seemed to be thinning. There was something within, something large and gleaming. “It is hard to say. I am almost through the worst of the black ICE, but I do not think it is the last defense. I need more time.”</p><p>Weiss sighed, then straightened her shoulders. “You’ll have it.” She turned to the other three. “I’ll go face the netrunner. My knight will stay here and help you. You must protect Penny.”</p><p>Ruby stepped forward, brandishing her weapon. “We will,” she promised.</p><p>Weiss’s avatar nodded and vanished in a blur. Then the beasts descended.</p><p>“Let’s do this!” Ruby called, leaping into the fray.</p><p>Yang smiled to herself, then followed.</p><p>--</p><p>There were too many. The three of them had sliced and chopped and blasted for what felt like hours. The creatures fell before them, evaporating rather than stacking to the non-existent sky as they otherwise would have. Still they came. The knight held back the worst, but it just wasn’t enough.</p><p>Then Yang heard it. The sound of…wings?</p><p>She looked up. Blake had to step in and saved her from her lapse in attention, but then she saw it too. “Oh no.”</p><p>“Ruby,” Yang snapped. “Up!”</p><p>Ruby dispatched her nearest foe then turned her pixelated face to the dark sky. There she saw them: wave after wave of beasts, soaring on terrible wings. Directly over their heads.</p><p>Straight for Penny.</p><p>“Penny!” Ruby called.</p><p>She didn’t look, but some of her swords broke off, forming a smaller grouping behind her that began picking off enemies with startling precision. Too slow. Much too slow. She was obviously distracted by her main task, and the beasts were closing in.</p><p>Ruby turned her rifle on them, picking off as many as she could while Yang and Blake protected her from more immediate threats. It wasn’t enough. The swarm descended, finally drawing Penny’s attention as she turned. The first reached her, and she screamed.</p><p>Then Ruby disappeared.</p><p>Yang blinked at the empty space where her sister had been. All that was left were a few drifting red pixels. They formed a trail that led directly to…</p><p>Ruby stood in front of Penny, brandishing the weapon that had just dispatched the creature that had dared to attack her. The others held back, but only for a moment. Then they swooped. Hundreds of them. Thousands. All at once.</p><p>Yang’s eyes went wide. “Ruby!”</p><p>Then everything went white.</p><p>When Yang’s vision cleared, all she saw was the weird grid extending to the horizon. The monsters were gone. She sprinted toward Penny and saw her gently holding Ruby’s avatar in her arms.</p><p>Yang jerked to a halt. “Is she-?”</p><p>“I’m…I’m okay,” Ruby moaned. “Just have the worst headache. What happened?”</p><p>“You tell us,” Yang responded.</p><p>“I,” Ruby stood, leaning on Penny to get her balance. “I was so scared. I just wanted to protect Penny so badly, because…”</p><p>“Fascinating,” Penny exclaimed. “You used emotion to fuel a faster-than-thought counter-attack. I have never seen anything like it.”</p><p>“I…what?” Ruby asked.</p><p>“I am analyzing what happened. It seems your emotional surge allowed your subconscious mind to hijack my visual interface and write a crude yet incredibly powerful defensive program. It was very nearly fatal.”</p><p>“Is that why my head is pounding?”</p><p>“Affirmative,” Penny replied. “But you seem to have wiped out all daemons in the local net.”</p><p>Weiss reappeared as she finished her explanation. “The netrunner fled. There was a burst of white, and he was screaming something about not being able to see. What happened?”</p><p>“Ruby has potentially revealed an entirely new avenue of research into netrunning technique,” Penny replied.</p><p>“She what?” Weiss asked.</p><p>Penny glowed brighter green for a moment. Weiss’s hand flew to her mouth. “That’s amazing!” she exclaimed. Then she remembered their true goal. “Do you think that will help us here?”</p><p>“It may,” Penny admitted. “Ruby?” she said, holding out her hand.</p><p>Ruby took it. “What do you need me to do?”</p><p>“Nothing,” Penny said. “I do not want you to risk yourself further, but your presence will help me attempt something new.”</p><p>A strange cloud formed above them while Penny spoke. It should have been ominous, but something about it was oddly beautiful. Green lightning began to dance through it, then surged down into Penny. Her swords began to spin once more, and she fed the sparking energy into them before unleashing a blast that nearly blinded Yang and the others all over again.</p><p>There was a groan, then a massive, splintering crack. “You’re doing it!” Weiss called, naked glee in her voice.</p><p>“Yes,” Penny exalted, her voice more animated than Yang had heard it all week. “We are!”</p><p>Yang grinned, then felt an odd tingling as a purple hand clutched her digital arm. Whispers of thoughts that weren’t her own tickled at her mind. Then they were gone. “Blake, what is it?” But Yang knew the answer before she spoke it.</p><p>“Trouble.”</p><p>--</p><p>Yang surged to her feet. She wobbled for a moment as she remembered how to use her physical body, then yanked the cable out of the back of her head that had tied her to the net. “How close?” she demanded.</p><p>Blake was rubbing her eyes. The experience had obviously been quite unpleasant for her. She pivoted her ears toward the doorway. “Close, but they’re being cautious as they move through the hallways.”</p><p>“How many?”</p><p>“Hard to say, no more than a dozen. Thick boots, most of them are relatively large. They’re organized.”</p><p>“So a small army?”</p><p>Blake blinked up at her. “Should we wake the others?”</p><p>Yang thought about it. “No. We couldn’t escape without a fight regardless, so we let them finish what we came here for. You and I will just have to handle it.”</p><p>Blake nodded, then pulled her hood up. Then vanished.</p><p>Yang shook her head. There were some things you just didn’t get used to. She bent low as she passed Ruby’s slumped form and scooped up her rifle. “Hope you don’t mind if I borrow this,” she murmured. She checked the clip and the safety as she strode toward the bent and broken door, then dove for cover when several barrels were leveled at her from just beyond.</p><p>A voice rang out from the hallway. “Hold your fire!”</p><p>“Are you talking to me, or…?” Yang called out. Someday her sass was likely to get her flatlined, but hopefully not today. Besides, she needed time.</p><p>Her opponent did not seem amused. “Drop your weapon, or you will be killed.”</p><p>“But not shot, right?”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I mean, you can’t shoot me, what with all this expensive equipment around.”</p><p>There was a moment of silence. Yang thought maybe she could hear the commanding officer grind her molars into dust. “Rifles down,” the woman barked. “Stun batons only.” She raised her voice to address Yang. “If you think you have a chance now, you’re mistaken. You cannot escape.”</p><p>“Wasn’t planning on it,” Yang muttered. She spun around the corner, hoping to catch them off guard as they changed weapons. She shot the first soldier square in the chest, then cursed herself as he barely flinched. Of course they were chromed out. She aimed up, switching the rifle to full auto and spraying a hail of bullets into the ceiling. The light panels emitted a shower of flickers and sparks, then most of them went dead.</p><p>Yang cast the rifle aside and charged forward. She was badly outnumbered, but the hallway was narrow enough that only two could really face her at a time and have room to maneuver. Add to that the disorienting flicker of the damaged light, and maybe she had a chance. The stun batons made her nervous, but she would just have to manage.</p><p>Then that problem solved itself. Or rather, Yang realized, Blake solved it. Through the gloom, she saw a dark blade appear, then the batons in the first two men’s hands simply fell to pieces. Yang laughed at their stupefied expressions and lunged for them. Their jaws felt like cinderblocks against her knuckles, but they went down all the same.</p><p>The hallway erupted into pandemonium. Blake flickered in and out of view, using the inconsistent light and her suit to create after images that soldiers swung at impotently before she disarmed them. Yang followed close behind and finished the job. Men were screaming and arguing and trying to warn each other, and Yang was laughing as she started to believe they were really about to win.</p><p>Then the commanding officer’s voice cracked like a whip. “Freeze!”</p><p>Yang complied. She couldn’t help it. She looked up and was glad she did. Blake was entirely visible, completely motionless, a lightly glowing blade hovering just beneath her chin. The elegant sword was held expertly in one gloved hand, while its mate held fast to Blake’s arm. The woman turned to face Yang and fixed her with an all too familiar, icy stare. “Stand down,” the white-haired woman ordered.</p><p>“Fucking hell,” Yang said, holding up her hands. “How many of you Schnees are there?”</p><p>The woman narrowed her eyes. Then looked past Yang in shock.</p><p>“Winter!” Weiss called, striding out into the hallway. “Stop, they’re with me.”</p><p>Winter gaped. “They’re with…you? Weiss, what have you done?”</p><p>Weiss pointed back to the room she’d just left. “Come and see.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Look at my girls,” Willow Schnee remarked, her voice strong but thick with emotion. “Women, now.”</p><p>Winter simply stared as her mother reached up and touched her face. It was clear that she was doing everything she could to maintain her composure in front of her men. Yang thought that overall she was doing quite well. Considering.</p><p>Weiss was beaming. It was a show of warmth and feeling that Yang hadn’t known she was capable of, but one she understood. It was an odd feeling, relating to corporate royalty. But there it was.</p><p>Yang leaned back against the wall. It was nice to not be the center of attention for a bit. She was bone-tired. She glanced around, smiled when her eyes landed on Penny and Ruby. They were huddled in a corner, forehead to forehead, tears and laughter and exploratory kisses in abundance. Seems they’d figured it out. Finally. She’d known they would. But it still warmed her heart.</p><p>Blake was flitting from pod to pod, helping the Faunus there. Someone had found blankets, and they were passing them out to the shivering men and women as they were thawed out. Those that had survived, at least. Those that hadn’t were covered respectfully. Winter had guaranteed she would return them to their families. Blake initially balked at the offer, but then one of the tall soldiers showed her his tail and assured her that he would see to it personally. She relented.</p><p>Yang was surprised at how amicable the flat tops all were. None of them seemed overly angry. Even those that had been stimmed back to consciousness and sported bruises shaped like Yang’s fist took the whole thing well enough. One complimented her on her right hook. It was all so surreal. It was only when Weiss called their crew over that Yang remembered the job wasn’t technically done.</p><p>“Ok,” Weiss said, letting out a breath and looking around. “Winter’s team was the only one dispatched, and she’s obviously not following Father’s orders anymore.”</p><p>Winter smiled, though it wasn’t an overly warm expression. “Technically, we contracted with SchneeCorp to run security tonight. Since Mother is still listed as a board member and she is the only one present, she has final authority.”</p><p>“Shall we take you out of here, Mother?” Weiss offered, holding out her hand.</p><p>Willow adjusted the blanket she’d been given and allowed herself to be helped up. She wobbled a bit as she stood but held her head high. “No, dear, not yet. We cannot leave this laboratory and the data it holds intact. If we do, your father will only continue this work.”</p><p>“I can erase the data,” Penny offered.</p><p>Willow considered this. “Be sure to keep the records of those imprisoned here. And those doing the imprisoning.” Penny nodded.</p><p>“I,” Blake began, smiling sheepishly. “Might have a solution for the lab itself.”</p><p>“My word,” Willow said, reaching out slowly toward Blake. She stopped herself, but her eyes stayed fixed on her face. “You’re the spitting image of Kali.”</p><p>Blake started. “I…what?”</p><p>“Sorry dear, I’m still drifting a bit from such a long time in that place. You said you had a solution?”</p><p>“I do,” Blake said. “But it’s somewhat drastic.”</p><p>Willow looked at her, seemed to look through her. She smiled. “Drastic might be just what the doctor ordered, dear.” She turned to Weiss. “Tell me, did you mention something about a party earlier?”</p><p>Weiss nodded slowly. “Yes, why?”</p><p>Willow favored her with a wry smile. “It would be terribly rude of me not to make an appearance. Don’t you think?”</p><p>--</p><p>Yang grinned as she and Blake threw open the doors to the ballroom. Her crew strutted past, all back in their party attire, none worried about what the curiously staring elites thought anymore. Ruby looked particularly pleased. She had forgone her heels in favor of her boots and seemed to be drawing strength from the looks of horror she was receiving from nearby ladies. Yang rolled her eyes, though she supposed the duffel thrown over her shoulder and held by an ungloved, golden hand was something of a statement as well.</p><p>Not that any of it mattered. The room beyond only had eyes for the woman that followed them in. Yang still couldn’t believe the change a few minutes had wrought. Willow Schnee no longer looked like a recently thawed piece of synth chicken. She looked amazing. Weiss and Blake had helped her arrange her hair into elegant tresses as she artfully applied some makeup, and her blood-red gown was a sight to behold.</p><p>Of course, the real shock was likely that Willow Schnee had reappeared after ten years, looking not a single day older.</p><p>“Mother?”</p><p>Willow’s head snapped around, and Yang watched as the anger in her stare melted away. “Oh, Whitely,” she sighed. “My little boy’s all grown up.”</p><p>“But,” Whitely gasped, his pale face completely white. “How?”</p><p>Willow closed the distance between them, gently embracing her son. “Your father lied, dear. But I’m here to straighten all of that up.”</p><p>“But-“</p><p>“Not to worry,” she said, leaning back and cupping his face. “We’ll have all the time in the world to talk afterward. Now, could you go fetch your father for me?”</p><p>“Willow.”</p><p>She looked up, her fierce smile returning. “Never mind, love, it seems he found me. Run along now.”</p><p>Whitely seemed ready to protest. One look between his parents, currently squaring off like gunslingers, was enough to convince him to step aside. The rest of the party was riveted. No one even attempted to hide their morbid fascination with the emerging drama.</p><p>Jacques stepped forward, intent on keeping their discussion somewhat contained. He was brought up short when Yang and the others closed ranks, keeping Willow beyond his reach.</p><p>“What is the meaning of this?” he fumed, but they didn’t respond. He stepped back, staring at his wife in disbelief. “This is impossible,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “You can’t-“</p><p>“She can,” Weiss said, stepping up beside her mother.</p><p>“You,” Jacques accused. “You were after-“</p><p>“I know exactly what you thought I was after.” Weiss favored him with a sanguine smile. “It seems you received some bad intel.”</p><p>“How did you…?” he began, his eyes flitting around madly. Like a rat surrounded by alley cats. “This is impossible. No one could… You certainly couldn’t have managed…this.”</p><p>“You’re right,” she agreed. “But I wasn’t alone. I have some rather talented friends.”</p><p>Yang didn’t know how she felt about a suit using that word in regards to her. Penny did. “And we would do anything for a friend,” she declared.</p><p>“Jacques, my love,” Willow said. “Please don’t get distracted by how this came to pass. You need to listen. In fact,” she raised her voice, addressing the room at large. “Everyone should hear this. You can all be my witnesses.</p><p>“As some of you may know, my father started this company. It was his pride and joy and came second only to his family. When he was ready to step down, he had some rather carefully worded documents written up to transfer control. Documents that I’ve learned you still haven’t managed to change, Jacques.”</p><p>“Now, dear, we shouldn’t discuss this here.” He looked around, pleading with his eyes for support that didn’t come. “You are unwell-“</p><p>“On the contrary,” Willow retorted. “I’ve never felt better. The point is, this company is owned and run by the head of the Schnee family. And as of now, you are no longer the head of this family. You may want to check your inbox, my love.” She winked lustily. “You’ve been served.”</p><p>Jacques blinked his eyes, then his face went crimson. “Divorce? Divorce?! This is lunacy. Madness. I’ll have you institutionalized, and all of this will be thrown out! You’ll see.”</p><p>Willow strode forward, her escorts parting smoothly to let her pass. She stopped directly in front of her husband, looked him up and down. “You can try,” she said softly. “But the logs from my sensory implants will show clearly what happened ten years ago, and all that has happened since. It’s over Jacques, you’re out. Oh, and be a dear? Stop referring to yourself as a Schnee. I’ve always thought Frost suited you so much better.”</p><p>“Why you…security!” Jacques shouted.</p><p>“Right here,” Winter snapped, striding through the doors with two of her men close behind.</p><p>Jacques leered. “Seize her! She’s clearly gone mad and needs to be restrained.”</p><p>Winter smiled and reached into her belt, producing a pair of plastic wrist restraints. She walked up to her mother and touched her gently on the shoulder. “Mother, if you would?”</p><p>“Of course, dear,” Willow responded, stepping back. “The floor is yours.”</p><p>Jacques's triumphant smile faltered as Winter turned to face him. “Jacques Schnee,” her voice boomed out over the crowd.</p><p>“Oh, it’s Frost now, dear,” Willow corrected gently.</p><p>Winter’s cold exterior nearly cracked as she suppressed a laugh, but she soldiered on. “You are hereby under citizen’s arrest for the torture and murder of an as yet undetermined number of people. We will deliver you to the proper authorities as soon as possible for processing.”</p><p>“Not too soon, I think,” Willow offered. “Might want to let the news of his recent misfortune spread a bit. That way people are disinclined to provide him with any special assistance.”</p><p>“This will never stick. I’ll be out in a matter of days!” Jacques gasped as Willow snapped the restraints on him and pulled them tight. Yang suspected tighter than strictly necessary, but she wasn’t about to say anything.</p><p>“No, dear, you won’t,” Willow said. “Not this time.” She looked around at the stunned guests. Smiled graciously. “It has been so wonderful to see you all again. I’m afraid I must take my leave. Winter?”</p><p>“I’ll have the building cleared at once.”</p><p>“Thank you, dear.” She looked around at the women flanking her. “Ladies?”</p><p>--</p><p>The landing pads outside were quiet. Yang suspected that was temporary. No doubt there would be a mad rush once Winter explained that the party was over. Why it was over.</p><p>They approached their waiting airship, the same that had ferried them in. Klein hopped out, cheerily offering to help with Yang’s bag and shrugging when she turned him down. He rocked back on his heels when he saw Willow and placed one hand on his stout chest. “Mrs. Schnee, it is so wonderful to see you again.”</p><p>“And you, Klein! Though I’m afraid it’s Ms. Schnee once again.”</p><p>“I’m dreadfully sorry to hear that, ma’am,” he said. His eyes dancing with something quite different from remorse as he helped her into the airship.</p><p>“Wait!” a breathless voice called. It was Whitely, sprinting down the path. “Mother,” he said, pulling up short when the others turned to face him. “I…can I-?”</p><p>“Of course, dear,” Willow called from inside. “Come along now. We need to go.”</p><p>Whitely hesitated, but Weiss reached out and grabbed his hand. “Come on,” she said, pulling him in. The pair settled on either side of their mother while the others piled in.</p><p>Klein had them in the air in short order. “Where to, ma’am?” his voice queried over the ship’s comm.</p><p>“Nowhere yet, Klein,” Willow said. “Just get us up and circle for a bit. We aren’t quite finished.” She looked directly at Blake as she spoke. Then shook her head and smiled. “You really do look just like her.”</p><p>“You knew my mother?”</p><p>“Oh, yes. She and I were thick as thieves back in our university days.”</p><p>“What happened?”</p><p>Willow’s lips went tight, then she sighed. “She stopped speaking to me when I started dating Jacques. She always was an excellent judge of character. Though I’m not sure even she could have predicted what he did to me.”</p><p>“I still don’t understand,” Blake said. “What was he hoping to accomplish?”</p><p>“He wanted my work,” Willow explained. “I was trying to copy human consciousness, but I couldn’t. Instead, I unintentionally figured out how to separate it from the brain. I never tested it on humans, but the animal trials were…disturbing. Their minds functioned well enough in digital form. But when I tried to re-implant them in their bodies, it was all wrong. They became insane, violent. If there was nothing to kill or destroy within reach, they turned on themselves. We had to euthanize every test subject, and I destroyed all records of my discovery.”</p><p>The shock in the small space was palpable. “That’s horrible,” Ruby moaned.</p><p>Weiss shook her head, confusion working it’s way past revulsion. “I don’t understand. Was Father torturing you for what you knew?”</p><p>“Not exactly,” Willow said. “He was trying to recreate my technique, but he wanted to take it further. His scientists would test their methods on the others-”</p><p>“The Faunus,” Blake specified.</p><p>Willow looked up, nodded slowly. “Yes, they were all Faunus. Many died over the years. I don’t know how many. Oh god…” She stifled a sob, closing her eyes tightly until she collected herself.</p><p>“They used the least lethal techniques on me. I believe they hoped that once my consciousness was separated from my body, they could modify me. Edit me. Use me like an AI. Access all of my knowledge and talents without my pesky humanity getting in the way.”</p><p>“Digital slavery,” Blake gasped. “That’s what this was about. He wanted your technique so he could create digital slaves.”</p><p>Willow nodded sadly. “Yes, that’s more or less it. Netrunners who never need to log off, personal assistants with human intelligence and absolute obedience. Anything you could imagine. But that was only phase one.</p><p>“Phase two was to offer immortality to the fabulously wealthy. To remove their minds from aging bodies and implant them in a younger clone of themselves. Or someone else. Who knows?”</p><p>Weiss looked aghast. “But you said…”</p><p>“Yes, dear, but your father was convinced he could overcome it. With enough test subjects.” Willow looked at the stricken faces around her. “Cheer up,” she admonished. “We stopped him. It doesn’t fix everything that he’s done, but you all still accomplished a world of good today.”</p><p>Yang glanced at Ruby, enjoying the warmth in the pit of her stomach as her sister beamed up at her. Blake still looked conflicted, but she gave a smile when Yang gently nudged her.</p><p>“Ma’am,” Penny said, breaking the spell of silence. “If you do not mind me asking, how did you hold out for ten years?”</p><p>Willow looked up. “How do you mean, dear?”</p><p>“I just,” Penny began, then looked down. “I have spent a great deal of time on the net, but nowhere near the years you have spent. Years that were full of torment. Yet you seem so…whole.”</p><p>Willow smiled sadly. “Don’t overestimate me, dear. I may be putting on something of a brave face. I intend to spend a great deal of time in therapy in the coming years…but that isn’t your real question. You want to know why I still seem so human.”</p><p>Penny looked up at her. “Yes, ma’am.”</p><p>“I think you know.” Willow gestured at Penny’s hand, clasped tightly in Ruby’s. “For me, it was the love of my children that anchored me. It kept me human and gave me the strength to fight off the onslaught. Well,” she added thoughtfully. “That and a deep well of spite for my husband, but that doesn’t sound quite as touching. Does it?”</p><p>Penny smiled. She shook her head, laughed, then leaned against Ruby and closed her eyes. “No,” she mused. “It does not.”</p><p>Willow smiled, then blinked. “It seems the building has been cleared,” she announced. “Winter has informed me that she has established a perimeter around the complex. You’re up, Ms. Belladonna.”</p><p>Yang fished out the detonator, holding it out for Blake. Their fingers brushed, and she looked down. “I’m sorry about before,” she began. “Turning on you, threatening you…”</p><p>Blake covered Yang’s hand in both of hers. “You were just doing what you thought was right. And, honestly?” she said, accepting the burden of the small device. “I should be thanking you. Listening to you and Ruby put a lot of things in perspective.” She looked up and met Yang’s eyes. “I don’t want to become someone I’m not, even for a good cause. Because of you, I didn’t. Thank you.”</p><p>Weiss watched her uncertainly. “This still seems kind of extreme. Maybe we should-“</p><p>Blake pushed the button.</p><p>They all crowded around the window, craning to see the building below. For a terrible second, nothing happened.</p><p>The building shuddered.</p><p>Then it collapsed in a spectacular cascade of metal and glass, directly onto its narrow footprint.</p><p>“Well,” Willow said. “That settles that.”</p><p>“Fuck!” Yang cried, cuffing herself on the forehead. Everyone turned to look at her, worried at her anguished tone. “I never got a glass a champagne,” she moaned. Then she was beset by swats and laughing insults, all while Willow directed Klein toward their first stop.</p><p>“I’m sure we can rectify that, dear,” Willow deadpanned as they flew off into the night.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Epilogue: The Next Job</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m literally never drinking anything else,” Yang proclaimed loudly. “Ever again.”</p><p>“So you’ve mentioned,” Weiss snarked. She tipped her sunglasses down and peered over the frames. “How many glasses have you had, anyway?”</p><p>Yang took another sip. “I don’t know, five? Maybe six...”</p><p>“Pretty sure it’s seven,” Ruby chimed in. Yang shot her a dirty look, but her little sister didn’t even open her eyes. She was too busy letting the sun soak into her pale skin.</p><p>“Whatever,” Yang laughed, settling back into her deck chair. “These glasses are so tiny, it hardly even counts.”</p><p>She set the cup on her armrest, running her finger gently through the condensation on the side. A contented silence rolled over the crew as they enjoyed the salty air blowing across the upper deck of the Schnee family yacht. Or one of them anyway.</p><p>“Who would like to try some cookies?” Penny asked, marching up the stairs. She beamed with pride as she held up a shining tray stacked with her handiwork. Ruby leaped from her chair and all but tackled the poor woman, kissing her firmly while palming three or four.</p><p>“I would love one, assuming Ruby hasn’t eaten them all,” Yang said, smiling her thanks as Penny passed the tray over. “I have to say, these look pretty serious for a first attempt.”</p><p>Yang sniffed the cookie warily, but Ruby was way ahead of her. Her eyes had gone wide at the first bite, and it was only after she had started the second that she paused long enough to exclaim, “Penny, these are incredible!”</p><p>So Yang took a bite. And nearly choked. “Penny,” she moaned. “This might be the greatest cookie I have ever eaten. Ever.” She downed the rest in a single go. “It’s nothing but champagne and Penny’s cookies for me from now on.”</p><p>Weiss was laughed and grabbed one, then smiled knowingly. “Are you sure you made these, Penny?”</p><p>“Now, Ms. Schnee,” Klein said, coming up the stairs behind Penny with a fresh bottle in a bucket of ice. “What are you implying?”</p><p>“Klein, these are your cookies!”</p><p>“They most certainly are not,” he huffed, refreshing everyone’s glasses. “I simply taught my recipe to this aspiring young baker.” He smiled proudly at Penny as he passed. “And she carried them off wonderfully. I daresay she’s a natural. Try not to be jealous just because you never quite mastered them.”</p><p>Weiss laughed, taking the ribbing with an ease that still surprised Yang, but definitely in a good way. She looked up at their last companion, perched precariously on the sidewall and looking out over the water. “Hey, Blake,” she called. “Not to interrupt your brooding, but these cookies are to die for.”</p><p>Blake looked back over her shoulder. With no suit to cover the subtle play of muscle, Yang was mesmerized by her every move, by her casual strength and…</p><p>“Sorry, what?” Yang asked.</p><p>Blake threw her head back and laughed, then spun and flowed off the railing. She padded across the deck, grabbed a cookie, and took a bite. After savoring it for a moment, she smiled at Yang. “I said that I was just enjoying the view. And that it seemed you were as well.” She winked as Yang stammered, then reclaimed her perch after a self-satisfied and completely gratuitous stretch.</p><p>Ruby snickered, and even Yang couldn’t help but smile. She felt completely outmatched, had certainly lost that round thoroughly, but that left her with only one option: attack</p><p>She got up, reminded herself that she didn’t exactly look bad in the bikini she’d purchased for just this purpose, then strode over to stand next to Blake. They weren’t far off the coast of Vale. Just enough to leave the incessant clamor of the city behind. Yang had never been anywhere so quiet. She hadn’t liked it at first. But then she started to listen to the wind and the rhythmic lapping of the water against the hull, and she decided it wasn’t all bad. Besides, from out here, she could see the city in all its sprawling, chaotic majesty.</p><p>Despite everything, she loved her hometown. “It really is beautiful, isn’t it?”</p><p>“In its way,” Blake said. “But it’s nothing like home.”</p><p>That word. Home. It carried a different meaning for every set of lips that formed it. Yang found herself very preoccupied with Blake’s definition. And her lips. But that would have to wait. “And where’s home for you?”</p><p>“Menagerie. The real Menagerie.”</p><p>Yang whistled. “That’s a long way from here.”</p><p>Blake looked at the coastline wistfully. “You’re telling me.”</p><p>Her tone was so sad, so full of longing, but Yang pressed on. “What's it like?”</p><p>“Well, the water’s blue, for one thing.”</p><p>Yang looked down at the greasy brown water below. “Not sure I’ve ever seen blue water before,” she admitted.</p><p>Blake gave her a half-smile. “No, I suppose you haven’t. You probably also haven’t seen white sand beaches or palm trees. Or the stars on a cloudless night.”</p><p>“Can’t say I have, no. I snuck into the planetarium at the museum of science once. Does that count?”</p><p>This time she shook her head back and laughed. “It does not. It’s not the same at all.”</p><p>“Well, we all make do,” Yang said, trying not to get defensive. She wanted Blake to go back to the almost dreamlike description of her home. She could almost see it. “Maybe I’ll have to go check out Menagerie sometime.”</p><p>“It’s not the most welcoming place if you aren’t a Faunus.”</p><p>Yang shrugged. “Then you can take me.”</p><p>“I generally expect to be wined and dined before I take someone home,” Blake snarked.</p><p>“You asking me out?” Yang asked, checking her nails casually. The nails on her right hand. Which didn’t exist. Maybe Blake didn’t notice.</p><p>“I,” Blake stopped. She narrowed her eyes as she decided if she minded the trap she’d walked herself into. Smiled. “I am,” she said finally.</p><p>“I accept,” Yang said. She hoped she didn’t look too excited, and she really hoped that Blake didn’t turn any further to see Ruby silently and obnoxiously celebrating behind her. She leaned forward to block her out. “I know a great place-“</p><p>“Sorry to interrupt, ladies,” Willow said. “But can we talk about business?”</p><p>Blake leaned over and pecked Yang on the cheek. “It’s a date,” she said with a sly wink. She hopped off the railing, leaving Yang to wipe the dopey grin off her face before she followed.</p><p>“What’s up?” she asked when she rejoined the others.</p><p>“Sit, please,” Willow said, lowering herself into a chair that Klein was holding for her. Though she looked hale enough, Yang saw her knees wobbling slightly below her sundress. A decade spent frozen in a pod probably wasn’t great for a body. Not that Willow would let on. “First, I’d like to address the matter of your payment.”</p><p>Yang shook her head. “Our payment?”</p><p>“For the job you did for my daughter,” Willow explained. “And for me. I’m told she was unable to meet your agreed-upon price.”</p><p>“Oh,” Yang said, perking up. Then she held up her hands. “It’s not necessary. Once we learned what she was after, we couldn’t say no.”</p><p>Ruby smiled at Yang as she turned down the biggest payday of their lives. It was the right thing to do. She almost believed that.</p><p>Willow shook her head. “Regardless, a deal is a deal. My husband may have been rather unscrupulous in his business dealings, but I taught my daughter better. Please check your accounts. The amount discussed should already be there. Plus a small bonus, as a personal thank you.”</p><p>Yang couldn’t resist. She called up her account on her HUD and nearly choked as she found more zeroes than she’d ever seen stacked into a single line. “A small bonus?”</p><p>“Considering what you’ve done for me, it is a paltry sum. I owe you a great debt.”</p><p>“We all do,” Weiss added.</p><p>Yang looked at the number again. Waiting for it to vanish. It didn’t. “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted.</p><p>Willow waved her off. “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to have the money now so that you could choose to walk away at any time.”</p><p>Yang let her words sink in. Wasn’t sure she liked them. “Walk away from what?”</p><p>Willow clasped her hands and leaned forward. “The job I’m about to offer you.” There it wa-</p><p>“Wait,” Yang said. If this was a trap, it was a subtle one. “A job?”</p><p>“Yes,” Willow said, accepting the glass of water that Klein had produced at some point. She nodded her thanks as she took a sip. “I’ve spent the past few days reviewing the inner workings of SchneeCorp. I did not like what I've found. I like the obvious gaps in the records even less. I’ve decided that SchneeCorp is too far gone to be fixed and, frankly, too large. It can no longer continue on as it is.”</p><p>“What?” Weiss exclaimed, somehow sitting up straighter than before.</p><p>Willow reached out and patted her hand. “I’m sorry, dear. I know how much this company means to you. To all of us. But my father’s company has been turned into something that he would be ashamed of. And I cannot stand for that.”</p><p>Weiss chewed this over. “Are you planning to sell?”</p><p>“And let someone as bad as your father or, god forbid, worse take over?” Willow asked. “No, dear. I’m going to break it down, piece by piece. The good pieces will be spun off into smaller, more ethical companies. The bad will be closed. But that’s not enough. Someone will need to help me separate the wheat from the chaff, and someone will need to deal with those who knowingly committed heinous acts, whether at your father’s command or of their own volition.</p><p>"I need people I can trust. I’ve been gone too long to know the power brokers either inside or outside the company. But you all seem quite capable of doing something once you’ve put your minds to it.”</p><p>Ruby’s jaw dropped. “Us?”</p><p>Yang crossed her arms. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but what exactly do you mean by ‘deal with?’ I’m not going to sign up to be your personal attack dog.”</p><p>Willow shook her head. “Of course not. I would never ask that of you. But anyone who willingly participated in projects like that lab I was held in needs to be punished. Wouldn’t you agree?”</p><p>“I suppose…”</p><p>“And how often do the rich and powerful truly see justice?”</p><p>Yang shrugged. “I’m going to guess somewhere between seldom and never. What did you have in mind?”</p><p>“I’m not one for micromanaging, dear,” Willow said with a savage smile. “Though I do appreciate poetic justice. For instance: just this morning, the lead scientist from that secret laboratory got evicted. It seems he could no longer pay his rent after every credit in his account was donated to The Faunus Protection League. Then the authorities received an anonymous tip regarding his wrongdoings.”</p><p>Blake snorted. “That doesn’t bring back those who died.”</p><p>“No, dear, it doesn’t,” Willow said. Yang thought she sounded genuinely sad. “I wish I could do more, but even killing those responsible would not return those who are lost. All we can do is try to prevent this from happening in the future. Please, I need your help to do that.”</p><p>Blake looked away, but Yang wasn’t ready to dismiss the offer outright. “How exactly would this work?”</p><p>“I would give you access to all of the data I have. You would have free reign to chase any lead you want. You would be paid a salary, and all expenses would be covered.”</p><p>There must be a catch. “And what if you don’t like what we find?” Yang asked.</p><p>“All the better. This is, in no small part, my fault. Your pay will be arranged in such a way that I cannot intervene, but you will be able to leave at any time.”</p><p>“So, you’re going to pay us a potentially huge sum of money to tear your company to pieces from the inside out? To burn it all down.”</p><p>“I was hoping you might be a gem and salt the earth while you’re at it,” Willow said primly. “But yes, that is what I am asking.”</p><p>Yang looked to Ruby. Her sister shrugged. “I mean, it wouldn’t be the worst thing to have a steady paycheck,” she remarked.</p><p>“Oh, now you’re worried about money?” Yang teased.</p><p>Ruby grinned. “I mean, yeah. I’ve been thinking we could move to a bigger place, but have you seen how expensive apartments are?”</p><p>Yang shook her head. “Believe it or not, I have. Penny?” she asked, turning to their hacker. “I know you wanted out, so no pressure-“</p><p>“I am in,” Penny said, smiling and reaching for Ruby’s hand. “Ruby has shown me a whole new way to run the net. I would very much like to explore it. Besides, I would miss working with you both terribly.”</p><p>“What about baking?” Ruby asked.</p><p>Penny smiled. Shrugged. “I can do both.” This was met with resounding support.</p><p>Yang turned to the Weiss. “I’m assuming you’re in?”</p><p>Weiss looked taken aback. “You want me to join your team?”</p><p>Ruby nodded her agreement. “Who better to help us navigate corporate bull…politics?”</p><p>“I,” Weiss’s eyes danced as she looked at their expectant faces. “I would be honored.”</p><p>Yang grinned, then looked at their last holdout. “Blake?”</p><p>She looked thoughtful, staring at the deck as she waged some internal battle. “I don’t know,” she offered.</p><p>“Come on,” Yang wheedled.</p><p>Blake sighed. “I just never thought I’d work for a Schnee at all. Now I’m going to do it again?”</p><p>“But it’s to help destroy SchneeCorp,” Yang pointed out.</p><p>“Heh, yeah. That’s true.”</p><p>“Without resorting to violence,” Ruby added.</p><p>Blake chewed it over for a few moments, then blew out a sigh. “I’ll do it on one condition.”</p><p>“What’s that?” Yang asked.</p><p>A small smile crossed her lips. “Willow has to tell me every embarrassing story she knows about my mom.”</p><p>Willow burst out laughing. “Oh, I would have done that anyway, but I accept,” she said, continuing to chuckle for some time after.</p><p>Yang smiled at Blake, cheering internally when she saw a slight blush on her face as their eyes met. “Glad to have you.” She looked around at her crew. Bigger than it used to be, but it felt right. “I think we’re going to do a lot of good.”</p><p>Ruby rolled her eyes. “You mean make a lot of money?”</p><p>Yang laughed, then grabbed her champagne glass and took another sip of the bubbly liquid. Damn, but it was good. “That too,” she admitted. Then she polished off the remainder of her glass. “So, when do we start?”</p>
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